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Red-naped Snake (Furina diadema)

The red-naped snake, Furina diadema, is a small, nocturnal, front-fanged elapid found across dry to humid parts of eastern Australia. It shelters in ground debris and crevices and feeds mainly on small skinks, so clearing, removal of cover and disturbance of rubble, timber piles, logs and termite or ant-associated areas can affect individuals on development sites.

Conservation status

Victoria, Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988: Endangered.

Breeding season

Red-naped Snakes lay small clutches, but mating, egg laying and incubation months are not recorded. Hatching is reported in January, or February in cooler areas, and activity increases during warmer periods. Plan clearing with refuge inspections throughout the year, with extra attention to concealed ground cover before January and February.

Reproductive mode: Oviparous, egg laying.

Clutch size: Usually small. Recorded clutches range from 1 to 10 eggs, with means of about 3 to 3.2 eggs.

Incubation: Not recorded.

Size at hatching: Recorded hatchling lengths range from about 107 mm to 150 mm.

Age at maturity: Adults are reported within 1 year. First breeding is recorded at about 21 months.

Nest or egg sites: Not specifically recorded. Potential sites include concealed ground cavities, cracks, crevices, logs, rocks, leaf litter and stored materials.

Breeding frequency: More than one clutch per year is reported in subtropical regions. The number of clutches is otherwise not established.

Confirm timing locally before works, particularly in relation to local temperature and rainfall patterns, because the available records distinguish cooler and subtropical areas but do not provide a complete regional calendar.

  • Mating: Mating months are not recorded for this species. Treat concealed refuges as potentially occupied during clearing in every month.
  • Gravid females: The months when females carry eggs are not recorded. Use year round refuge precautions because the species shelters under rocks, logs, leaves, iron sheets and other cover.
  • Egg laying: Egg laying months and specific oviposition sites are not recorded. Inspect concealed ground cavities, litter, logs, rocks, cracks and stored materials before removal.
  • Incubation: Incubation duration and the months when eggs remain in nests or soil are not recorded. Treat suitable concealed ground refuges as potential egg sites throughout the year.
  • Hatchlings: Hatching is reported in January, and in February in cooler regions. Hatchlings are recorded at about 107 mm to 150 mm long.
  • Active period: The species is nocturnal and eats more during warmer times of the year, but no start or end months are recorded. Night searches and refuge checks may be relevant in every month.
  • Winter inactivity: Brumation, hibernation and winter inactivity are not recorded. Do not assume that snakes are absent from logs, rocks, litter, cracks or other refuges during cooler periods.
  • Highest clearing risk: No monthly clearing risk peak is documented. Apply a year round precaution because eggs, hatchlings and sheltering snakes may be present, with particular attention to January and February hatching periods.

Identification

The red-naped snake is a small, slender snake with a distinctive red or orange mark at the back of the head. It is most likely to be encountered at night or when ground cover is lifted during site works.

Adults are slender and generally red-brown or reddish-brown above. The head and neck are shiny black, with a bright red or orange nape patch. The belly is white or cream. Many dorsal scales have dark brown or black diagonal edging.

Total length: Up to about 400 mm.

Hatchling snout to vent length: About 113.5 mm in the supplied dataset.

Hatchling mass: About 1.23 g in the supplied dataset.

  • Treat the species as venomous and avoid handling unless this is necessary for authorised fauna management.
  • Use a qualified fauna spotter catcher and appropriate snake handling procedures if an animal is found.

Identification: Similar snakes

The red or orange nape is the main field character. In some individuals the nape forms a complete band, which can cause confusion with the orange-naped snake. The red-naped snake is reddish-brown above, with a black head and neck band and a pale underside.

  • Do not rely on colour alone when identification is uncertain, because individual snakes vary and small Australian elapids can be difficult to distinguish in the field.
  • Photograph the head, nape, dorsal pattern and whole body from a safe distance where this can be done without disturbing the animal.

Identification: Field signs and sexes

No species-specific tracks, scats, calls, nests, sloughs or eyeshine characteristics are provided in the supplied documents. The species is a snake and is therefore more likely to be detected directly, under cover, or during nocturnal searches than from indirect signs.

Males and females differ in recorded mean snout to vent length in one dataset, with females averaging about 271 mm and males about 243 mm. These measurements are not reliable for field sexing of an individual.

Adult female mean snout to vent length: 271 mm.

Adult male mean snout to vent length: 243 mm.

Distribution: National range

The species occurs across eastern and south-eastern Australia, from north Queensland to South Australia. The supplied documents do not provide a state-by-state population estimate, mapped bioregion limits or confirmed strongholds.

The documented range extends from Cairns in north Queensland through eastern Australia to Port Augusta in South Australia. On the information supplied, the range includes Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. The documents do not separately confirm occurrence in the Australian Capital Territory or identify particular bioregions.

Recorded national span: Cairns, Queensland, to Port Augusta, South Australia.

States indicated by the supplied range: Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.

Queensland records: Recorded in about 18 Queensland national parks, including Main Range, Girraween, Bunya Mountains, Koombit Tops and Tamborine National Park.

Distribution: Conservation standing

The species is not listed under the EPBC Act in the supplied material. It is listed as Vulnerable in Victoria. Queensland authorities list it as Least Concern under the Nature Conservation Act 1992.

EPBC Act: Not listed in the supplied material.

Victoria: Vulnerable.

Queensland: Least Concern.

Global assessment in the supplied dataset: Least Concern, assessed in 2017.

Population trend: Decreasing in the supplied dataset.

Population size: No population estimate is provided.

Distribution: Strongholds and subpopulations

The supplied sources identify records in a range of Queensland national parks and frequent occurrence in suburban gardens around Ipswich. They do not establish separate subpopulations, density estimates or national strongholds.

  • Treat suitable habitat as potentially occupied where the species is within its documented range, even if no prior record exists for the project site.
  • Record the location and habitat context of every encounter to improve local distribution information.

Habitat: Habitat types

Red-naped snakes use dry to humid terrestrial habitats, but generally avoid very moist areas such as rainforest. They are associated with ground cover and small cracks or cavities rather than a particular tree type.

The species has been reported from forest, grassland, savanna and shrubland. Queensland guidance describes use of a wide range of dry habitats, from humid to arid areas, and notes that the species tends to avoid very moist habitats such as rainforest.

  • Consider eucalypt woodland, open forest, grassland, shrubland, savanna, pasture and dry suburban habitat as potentially suitable where ground refuges are present.
  • Inspect dry ground cover before clearing, grading, trenching or relocating stored materials.

Habitat: Habitat structure

Important site features include rocks, fallen logs, leaf litter, timber piles, old sheets of iron, cracks and crevices. The species can occur near ant colonies and termite nests. These features may provide cover and access to prey.

  • Map and retain, where practicable, logs, rocks, accumulated litter, timber piles, iron sheets, fissures and termite or ant-associated ground features until fauna management is complete.
  • Avoid assuming that a cleared or disturbed site is unsuitable if ground refuges remain.

Habitat: Climate and elevation

The documented range spans humid to arid areas of eastern Australia. The supplied dataset records an elevation range of 2 to 1006 m above sea level.

Recorded elevation: 2 to 1006 m above sea level.

Moisture range: Humid to arid areas, with avoidance of very moist rainforest areas noted in Queensland guidance.

Foraging habitat: Diet and hunting

Red-naped snakes are nocturnal, sit-and-wait predators that feed mainly on small skinks. They forage on or close to the ground in areas containing cover and reptile prey.

Queensland guidance identifies small skinks as the main food. The supplied dataset also records blind snakes as prey and describes sit-and-wait hunting. Activity is mainly nocturnal.

Main prey: Small skinks.

Other recorded prey: Blind snakes.

Hunting method: Sit and wait.

Foraging period: Mainly at night.

  • Give particular attention to sites with skink habitat, including leaf litter, rocks, logs, timber piles, iron sheets and cracks or crevices.
  • Schedule nocturnal fauna searches where safe and permitted, because daytime searches may miss active animals.

Foraging habitat: Foraging area

No home range, foraging distance, density or prey abundance estimates are provided. The species is terrestrial and its documented shelter and prey features are generally at ground level.

  • Manage connected patches of ground cover around known records rather than removing only the exact point where a snake was found.
  • Retain refuge features until adjacent clearing and construction activity are finished, where site constraints allow.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

The red-naped snake lays eggs, but the supplied documents provide little information on breeding timing or the specific features selected for egg laying. Ground refuges and protected cavities are the best-supported habitat features to retain.

The species is oviparous. Clutches are usually small, although larger clutches have been recorded. The supplied documents do not state the breeding months, incubation period, gestation period, or the habitat feature used for each clutch.

Breeding mode: Egg laying.

Clutch size: 1 to 10 eggs recorded; mean about 3 to 3.2 eggs.

First breeding: About 21 months, with sex not specified in the supplied fact.

Incubation: Not provided.

Breeding season: Not provided.

Lifespan: Longest recorded life about 2.5 years in the supplied dataset.

  • Treat concealed ground cavities, litter accumulations, logs, rocks and other undisturbed cover as potential breeding habitat during clearing.
  • If eggs or a suspected oviposition site are found, stop work in the immediate area and obtain advice from the fauna spotter catcher or project ecologist.

Breeding habitat: Breeding habitat

No species-specific nest description is provided. The species uses cracks, crevices, logs, rocks, leaf litter and stored materials for shelter, and these concealed sites should be treated as possible egg-laying habitat until inspected.

  • Inspect and progressively clear cover rather than removing all cover at once.
  • Do not place spoil, plant, equipment or construction materials over retained refuge areas.

Sheltering habitat: Known refuges

By day, red-naped snakes hide in small ground refuges. These refuges are easily removed or crushed during site preparation and material handling.

Queensland guidance records the species under rocks, logs, leaves, timber piles and old sheets of iron, as well as in cracks and crevices. It can often be found near ant colonies or termite nests.

  • Lift or move potential cover under fauna spotter catcher supervision, rather than dragging it across the ground or crushing it with machinery.
  • Inspect the underside and surrounding ground before removing rocks, logs, iron sheets, timber piles and similar materials.
  • Check cracks, crevices, termite nests and ant-associated ground before excavation or filling.

Sheltering habitat: Refuge dimensions

The supplied documents do not give dimensions for burrows, crevices, shelter sites or home ranges. No tree hollows, nests or elevated roosts are reported for this terrestrial species.

Maximum snake length relevant to refuge checks: About 400 mm total length.

Burrow or refuge size: Not provided.

  • Use a cautious inspection approach for any cavity or covered ground feature large enough to conceal a small snake up to about 400 mm long.
  • Keep inspected refuge material separate from cleared material until the spotter catcher confirms that it is safe to proceed.

Threats: Clearing and construction

The supplied documents identify a decreasing population trend but do not provide a species-specific threat assessment. On development sites, the main foreseeable risk is the loss or crushing of ground refuges and prey habitat during clearing and construction.

Removing rocks, logs, leaf litter, timber piles, iron sheets, cracks, crevices and termite or ant-associated features can remove shelter and foraging habitat. Direct mortality can occur when machinery, vehicles or stored materials crush concealed snakes.

  • Complete a pre-clearing inspection of ground cover and staged habitat removal under an approved fauna management procedure.
  • Use exclusion zones around detected animals and allow the spotter catcher to relocate or release them in accordance with the project approval and relevant state requirements.
  • Inspect trenches, pits and other excavations regularly, and provide escape provisions where required by the fauna management plan.

Threats: Fragmentation and roads

No species-specific road mortality or fragmentation study is provided. Fragmenting dry ground habitat can remove connected cover and prey areas, while vehicle movements can kill nocturnal snakes crossing work areas or roads.

  • Limit night vehicle movements through retained habitat where practicable.
  • Use low speeds and active fauna checks on access roads and around stockpiles, compounds and work fronts.
  • Retain linked areas of leaf litter, logs, rocks and other ground cover where the project design allows.

Threats: Fire, predators and hydrology

The supplied documents do not identify species-specific effects of fire, introduced predators, disease or hydrology change. The species generally avoids very moist areas, so conversion of dry ground habitat to wetter conditions may alter habitat suitability, while inappropriate fire or removal of ground cover may reduce shelter and prey.

  • Do not infer that a site is unsuitable solely because it has been burnt, grazed or disturbed; inspect surviving ground refuges and adjacent cover.
  • Manage drainage, sediment and waterlogging so retained dry habitat is not unnecessarily altered.
  • Record predator, disease and fire observations as site pressures, but do not assign species-specific impacts without supporting evidence.

Survey methodology: 1. Nocturnal searches

Survey for the red-naped snake should focus on nocturnal activity and sheltered ground habitat. The available documents do not prescribe a species-specific number of nights, hours, transect length or trap nights, so the ecologist must set and justify effort from the project footprint, habitat quality, season and disturbance risk.

Undertake targeted searches after dark because the red-naped snake is nocturnal and feeds at night.

Search dry woodland, grassland, shrubland and other suitable terrestrial habitat within the disturbance area and nearby retained habitat.

Use a head torch or spotlight to inspect ground surfaces, leaf litter, timber piles, cracks, crevices and the edges of cover objects.

Give additional attention to areas near ant colonies and termite nests, where the species may shelter or forage.

Activity period: Nocturnal

Maximum length: About 40 cm

  • Conduct searches in suitable weather when snakes and their skink prey are likely to be active, and record temperature, rainfall, wind and cloud conditions for each visit.
  • Define the search area and record the time spent, observers, start and finish times, weather and habitat searched.
  • Repeat nocturnal searches where the first visit has low detectability or where the project will remove extensive suitable habitat.

Survey methodology: 2. Daytime shelter searches

Inspect likely daytime refuges because the species hides during the day.

Search beneath rocks, logs, leaves, timber piles and old sheets of iron, and inspect cracks and crevices without damaging retained habitat.

Check the margins of ant colonies and termite nests where access can be obtained safely and lawfully.

Search garden, construction and disturbed areas as well as intact habitat, because the species has been recorded in suburban gardens and a wide range of dry habitats.

  • Lift cover objects slowly from the side, keep hands and feet clear, and replace each object in its original position after inspection.
  • Use a fauna spotter catcher or other appropriately authorised person where handling or capture may be required.
  • Do not treat the absence of animals beneath cover as evidence that the site is unoccupied.

Survey methodology: 3. Habitat and detectability assessment

Map dry habitat and ground refuges across the project area before selecting survey locations.

Record the type, distribution and condition of rocks, logs, leaf litter, timber, iron sheets, cracks, crevices, ant colonies and termite nests.

Record nearby retained habitat and movement routes between shelter areas, because the species is terrestrial and uses ground-level cover.

  • Use the same mapped search areas on repeat visits so detection results can be compared.
  • Report all observations with a location, date, time, method, habitat description, photograph where safe, and identification confidence.
  • Treat a small snake with a red or orange nape, black head and neck band, and red-brown body as a possible red-naped snake until identification is confirmed.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

  • Set survey effort in the ecological assessment and explain why the number and timing of visits are suitable for the area, habitat and proposed clearing.
  • Include nocturnal searches and daytime refuge searches where the project could remove or isolate suitable habitat.
  • Record nil results, search limitations and conditions that reduced detectability.
  • Have all records verified by a suitably experienced reptile ecologist where identification is uncertain.
  • Submit confirmed records to the relevant state wildlife database and retain the project records with the environmental management documentation.
  • Check current state survey, wildlife handling and threatened species requirements before fieldwork begins.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise

The red-naped snake uses dry ground habitat and cover objects that are commonly removed during site preparation. Avoid disturbing these features where practicable, and plan any capture, relocation and clearing controls before machinery arrives.

Retain dry woodland, grassland, shrubland and other suitable terrestrial habitat outside the construction footprint.

Retain rocks, logs, leaf litter, timber piles, old sheets of iron, cracks, crevices, ant colonies and termite nests where they can remain safely in place.

Maintain connected strips of retained ground habitat between occupied or suitable areas instead of isolating small refuge patches.

Keep construction materials, spoil and vehicle movements out of retained habitat and refuge areas.

  • Place exclusion fencing around retained habitat and marked refuge features where the site layout allows it.
  • Use a clearly marked no-go zone for retained habitat and inspect the fencing before each work shift.
  • Avoid unnecessary removal of ground cover from areas that will not be directly disturbed.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and work planning

Confirm the applicable state wildlife protection, survey and handling requirements before clearing.

The species is not listed under the EPBC Act in the cited conservation advice, but the project must still check the current national list and referral requirements before works begin.

Use the current state listing and permit requirements for the state in which the project occurs, rather than relying on a listing from another jurisdiction.

  • Obtain any required authority to capture, handle, temporarily hold or relocate native reptiles.
  • Prepare a fauna management plan that identifies survey areas, exclusion zones, authorised personnel, release areas, injured-animal procedures, stop-work triggers and reporting responsibilities.
  • Stage clearing so the fauna spotter catcher can inspect each work area immediately before disturbance.
  • Schedule the most disruptive ground works to avoid periods of highest expected nocturnal activity where the project program allows.

Before habitat disturbance: Pre-clearance preparation

Complete a pre-clearance inspection of each work area, including rocks, logs, leaf litter, timber, iron sheets, cracks, crevices and termite or ant-associated habitat.

Mark habitat features that will be retained and identify safe nearby retained habitat for any authorised relocation.

Brief machine operators and contractors that the red-naped snake is venomous, although Queensland guidance regards it as virtually harmless or not dangerous to humans.

  • Ensure the fauna spotter catcher has suitable snake-handling equipment, secure containers, personal protective equipment and access to current veterinary or wildlife carer contacts.
  • Remove or secure materials that could conceal a snake only under the direction of the fauna spotter catcher and after the area has been inspected.
  • Install exclusion fencing only where it will not trap animals inside the work area or prevent movement to retained habitat.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls

Clearing must proceed under active fauna supervision. The spotter catcher should control the release of habitat features and have authority to pause machinery when an animal or potential refuge is encountered.

Inspect the work area at the start of each shift and after any overnight change to fencing, materials or access.

Use a fauna spotter catcher to inspect the section immediately ahead of clearing machinery.

Clear progressively in small sections so each area can be searched before the next section is disturbed.

Keep machinery, workers, spoil and traffic within the approved footprint.

  • Do not allow workers to lift rocks, logs, iron sheets or other cover objects ahead of the fauna spotter catcher.
  • Keep access tracks and stockpiles clear of retained habitat and known refuge features.
  • Maintain exclusion fencing and repair any gap before work continues.

During habitat disturbance: Handling habitat features

Have the fauna spotter catcher inspect rocks, logs, leaf litter, timber piles, old iron, cracks and crevices before they are moved or destroyed.

Move cover objects slowly and place them down away from workers and machinery if they are to be retained or used in rehabilitation.

Treat termite nests and ant-associated ground features as potential habitat and inspect them before disturbance.

Do not destroy or backfill a potential refuge until the fauna spotter catcher has confirmed that it is clear or has managed any animal found.

  • Use mechanical equipment only after the spotter catcher has checked the immediate work area and established a safe sequence for removing the feature.
  • Do not enter cracks, crevices or unstable structures by hand.
  • Use the project fauna management plan for any wet area, drainage line or water body encountered, because the available species information describes the red-naped snake as terrestrial and associated with dry habitats.

During habitat disturbance: If a snake is found

Stop work in the immediate area and keep people and machinery clear.

Have only an authorised and appropriately trained fauna handler attempt capture or handling.

Do not ask untrained workers to approach, restrain or kill the snake.

If relocation is authorised, place the animal in nearby suitable retained habitat selected in advance by the ecologist, with shelter and ground cover available.

  • Keep the animal in a secure, ventilated container for the shortest practical period and follow the handling permit and fauna management plan.
  • Do not relocate the animal outside the approved release area or across roads, waterways or other major barriers without project approval.
  • Send an injured animal to a veterinarian or licensed wildlife carer as soon as practicable.
  • If a bite occurs, apply the project first aid and emergency response procedure and seek urgent medical attention.

During habitat disturbance: Stop-work triggers and records

  • Stop work when a red-naped snake or unidentified snake is within the active work area until the fauna spotter catcher has assessed it.
  • Stop work when a potential refuge cannot be safely inspected, when exclusion fencing fails, or when machinery enters a marked no-go zone.
  • Record each sighting, capture, relocation, injury, mortality, habitat feature affected, location, time, action taken and handler.
  • Notify the project environmental officer and regulator where required by the approval, permit or fauna management plan.
  • Photograph the animal or habitat feature only when this can be done without delaying safe management or increasing disturbance.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance checks

Post-clearance checks should confirm that animals were not left in the work area and that retained habitat and controls remain functional. The level of follow-up should reflect the amount of habitat removed and any animals detected during works.

Have the fauna spotter catcher inspect the cleared area, remaining cover and the edges of retained habitat after each clearing stage.

Check machinery, spoil piles, material stacks, temporary buildings and fencing for trapped or sheltering snakes before they are moved or removed.

Confirm that all captured animals were released or transferred in accordance with the fauna management plan and permits.

  • Repeat checks where clearing occurs over several days or where materials remain on site overnight.
  • Remove temporary exclusion fencing only after the environmental officer confirms that it is no longer needed and that it will not direct animals into the work area.
  • Record nil findings as well as animals detected after clearing.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and reporting

Monitor retained habitat and any release areas for continued ground cover, refuge availability and signs of disturbance.

Use the same search approach and mapped locations where follow-up monitoring is required so results can be compared with pre-clearance observations.

Review records for repeated captures, injuries, mortalities or movement towards the construction area.

  • Submit confirmed records and required incident reports to the relevant state wildlife database or authority.
  • Update the project environmental records with survey effort, sightings, handling, release locations, injuries, mortalities and corrective actions.
  • Escalate repeated encounters or mortality to the project ecologist and revise controls before the next work stage.

After habitat disturbance: Maintain controls and offsets

  • Keep retained habitat fencing, refuge markings, access controls and material storage controls in place while construction continues.
  • Repair damaged fencing and remove new rubbish or materials that create uncontrolled shelter within the work area.
  • Apply any approval condition, offset requirement or state conservation measure that is triggered by the project.
  • Do not count a release area as a suitable offset unless its habitat values, protection arrangements and management obligations have been assessed and approved.

Rehabilitation actions: Habitat reinstatement

Rehabilitation should restore dry, connected ground habitat with shelter features used by the red-naped snake and its small skink prey. The available documents do not identify a species-specific planting list or rehabilitation target, so design should use the pre-clearing vegetation community and advice from the relevant state ecologist.

Re-establish the local dry woodland, grassland or shrubland community appropriate to the site rather than creating dense wet vegetation.

Use locally appropriate native plants from the pre-clearing community, with species selection confirmed against the approved rehabilitation plan.

Reinstate leaf litter, rocks, logs, timber-sized ground debris and other natural cover in stable positions that do not create a safety or fire hazard.

Recreate connected ground-habitat links between retained patches wherever the project has divided suitable habitat.

  • Place rocks and logs so they provide shelter and remain available after site maintenance activities.
  • Retain or recreate cracks, crevices and other natural ground refuges where this is safe and consistent with the site design.
  • Do not install nest boxes as a substitute for the ground refuges used by this terrestrial snake unless another approval or species management plan requires them.

Rehabilitation actions: Manage threats

  • Control weeds so native ground cover and leaf litter can develop without becoming dominated by dense introduced vegetation.
  • Keep construction waste, sheet materials and stockpiles out of rehabilitated habitat unless they are deliberately placed as approved temporary refuge and managed by the ecologist.
  • Manage domestic and feral predators in accordance with the site environmental plan where monitoring identifies a predator problem.
  • Apply fire management that protects developing ground cover and refuges and follows the approved vegetation and fire plan.

Rehabilitation actions: Success measures and monitoring

Monitor plant establishment, ground cover, leaf litter, rocks, logs, cracks and connectivity across the rehabilitated area.

Use nocturnal and daytime refuge searches where reptile monitoring is required, and record survey conditions and effort for every visit.

Treat red-naped snake records as one line of evidence, because a failure to detect this nocturnal, sheltering species does not by itself show that rehabilitation has failed.

  • Set measurable rehabilitation targets for native plant cover, weed cover, retained or reinstated refuge features and fencing condition in the approved rehabilitation plan.
  • Inspect rehabilitation after major works, severe weather and maintenance activities, and repair losses of logs, rocks, leaf litter or ground cover.
  • Continue monitoring for the period required by the approval and report results, management actions and any red-naped snake records to the project environmental officer and relevant authority.

Sources