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Tiger Snake (Notechis scutatus)

The Tiger Snake, Notechis scutatus, is a highly variable venomous elapid found mainly in south-eastern, southern and south-western Australia, Tasmania and offshore islands. It uses wetlands, drainage lines, floodplains, open woodland and other sites with water and ground cover, so clearing and construction near these features can remove shelter, reduce frog prey and increase road mortality.

Conservation status

Commonwealth, EPBC Act 1999: Vulnerable.

Breeding season

Tiger Snakes mate mainly from late winter or spring to late summer, with mating peaking in January and February in some populations. Live births occur from March to May in south-western Australia. Clearings can affect active snakes, gravid females, newborns and snakes sheltering during cool weather, so local timing and shelter checks are needed.

Reproductive mode: Live-bearing, or ovoviviparous. Young develop internally and are born in membranous sacs.

Litter size: Usually about 10 to 30 young. Recorded litters include 10 to 64, with larger records reported elsewhere.

Incubation or Gestation: Gestation is reported as approximately 112 days. No incubation period applies because young are born live.

Size at hatching or birth: Approximately 10 cm long where recorded.

Age at maturity: South-western Australian females mature at a snout to vent length of at least 763 mm. On mainland Tasmania, males may mature at about 500 g, while females may mature at 850 mm snout to vent length and at least 325 g.

Nest or egg sites: No egg or nest sites apply. Birth shelter structure is not specified, but nearby cover can include dense vegetation, fallen timber, debris piles, burrows and wetland or riparian habitat.

Breeding frequency: Females are reported to reproduce every second year in some populations.

Confirm timing with local records and the fauna spotter catcher, especially where rainfall and temperature alter wetland prey availability, surface activity or shelter use.

  • Mating: Mating is reported in late summer, including March, with activity peaking in January and February in some sources. Other accounts place mating in late winter or spring, so timing varies among populations and regions.
  • Gravid females: Females may remain relatively sedentary while gravid, with one female recorded at a home site for 50 days. The exact gravid period is not defined, but reports of late winter or spring to late summer mating and March to May births support a broad late winter to autumn risk period.
  • Births: Live young have been recorded in south-western Australia from 17 March to 18 May. Other sources describe births as occurring in late summer to early autumn or in summer, so March to May is the clearest documented period for planning.
  • Newborns: Newborns are independent after leaving their membranous sacs. Neonates may share shelters, with up to 26 found together in a winter refuge, so March to May birth areas and connected cover should be retained and checked.
  • Active period: Adults are generally more active in warmer months, but Tiger Snakes may bask or forage on warm winter days. In the Flinders Ranges, activity has been reported from at least October to February, while timing elsewhere follows local temperature conditions.
  • Winter inactivity: During cool periods, snakes may shelter or aestivate in burrows, beneath large boulders, in standing dead trees, hollow logs and other cover. They may be as deep as 1.2 m underground, although warm winter days can allow surface activity and the pattern is not uniform across Australia.
  • Highest clearing risk: Risk is highest from January to May because mating, gravid females, births and newborns overlap with warmer-weather movement. Cool-season sheltering creates an additional risk from June to August, when snakes may be unable to escape machinery from burrows, logs, rocks, debris and dense vegetation.

Identification

Tiger Snakes are solidly built elapids with a broad, flattened head and a body that may be banded or entirely patternless. Colour and pattern vary substantially between mainland, Tasmanian and island populations, so identification should not rely on the presence of yellow bands alone.

Adults are commonly about 0.9 to 1.2 m long, with mainland individuals averaging about 1.2 m. Larger individuals may reach about 2.0 to 2.1 m, while the reported population range extends from 100 cm on Roxby Island to 240 cm on Chappell Island.

The body may be olive-brown, dark brown, blackish-brown, grey, reddish or yellowish-brown. Pale yellow, cream or grey cross-bands may be broad, narrow, weak or absent. The belly may be cream, yellow, olive-green, grey or olive-brown, sometimes with darker throat and tail markings.

The head is moderately wide and deep, and only slightly distinct from the robust body. When threatened, the snake raises its head, curves the forebody and flattens the neck and anterior body into a hood-like shape.

Midbody scales: 17 to 21 rows.

Ventral scales: 140 to 190.

Subcaudal scales: 35 to 65, all single.

Weight: No general adult weight is provided. Maturity data include Tasmanian males at about 500 g and females at at least 325 g.

Identification: Distinguishing features

Large banded individuals are usually distinctive, but patternless Tiger Snakes can resemble Copperheads, Black Snakes and other dark elapids. Juveniles may be confused with Rough-scaled Snakes or Stephen’s Banded Snakes.

Within the Flinders Ranges, very dark individuals may be confused with Brown Snakes or Mulga Snakes. Single subcaudal scales help separate Tiger Snakes from those species, and the temporolabial scale helps distinguish them from Brown Snakes.

On Kangaroo Island, reddish-bellied individuals may be mistaken for Red-bellied Black Snakes. Record clear photographs and seek confirmation from the relevant state fauna authority or museum where an EPBC-listed regional form may be involved.

Identification: Field signs and handling

The documents do not provide diagnostic tracks, scats, calls, nest signs or eyeshine for this species. Shed skins may occur around shelter sites, but species identification from a slough alone is not established in the supplied sources.

Tiger Snakes may be found active in warm weather, in residual waterholes, or beneath ground objects and dense vegetation. They can climb vegetation and human structures, with records as high as 10 m above ground.

The species is dangerously venomous. Do not handle or pursue an animal for identification. Use a qualified fauna spotter catcher, maintain a safe exclusion distance and obtain photographs from a safe position.

Distribution: National range

Tiger Snakes have a fragmented, non-continuous distribution in two broad Australian regions: south-eastern Australia and south-western Australia. They also occur in Tasmania, Bass Strait and numerous offshore islands.

The mainland range includes south-eastern Queensland, eastern and southern New South Wales, Victoria, south-eastern South Australia and south-western Western Australia. Tasmania and islands in Bass Strait support additional populations.

Documented island populations include Kangaroo Island and islands in the Sir Joseph Banks Group and Nuyts Archipelago in South Australia; islands in western and eastern Bass Strait; and Carnac, Garden and Rottnest Islands in Western Australia.

The supplied sources do not assign the species to a complete set of formal IBRA bioregions. They describe occurrences by state, island group, river system and local region instead.

Broad mainland regions: South-eastern Australia and south-western Australia, with additional southern mainland occurrences.

States and territories named in the sources: Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia.

Elevation: From sea level to above 1,000 m in Tasmania.

Distribution: Strongholds and subpopulations

The Flinders Ranges population occurs in the southern Flinders Ranges, from the Mount Remarkable region south to the mouth of the Broughton River. It is associated with creek valleys and residual waterholes.

In the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges, records are concentrated around the upper Onkaparinga Valley, Woodside, Balhannah and Verdun, with additional records downstream of Strathalbyn. The regional profile describes the species as uncommon and probably declining there.

Island populations are highly differentiated in size, colour and ecology. Chappell Island supports particularly large snakes, while Roxby Island supports a much smaller population associated with small skinks.

Known Flinders Ranges distribution: Southern Flinders Ranges, Mount Remarkable region south to the mouth of the Broughton River.

Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges records: Mainly around Woodside, the upper Onkaparinga Valley, Balhannah and Verdun, with records near Strathalbyn and Para Wirra.

Population size: No national or regional population estimate is provided.

Trend: The Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges population is described as uncommon, very vulnerable and probably declining. The broader national trend is not quantified in the supplied documents.

Distribution: Taxonomic and listing context

Older sources recognised Eastern and Black Tiger Snakes as separate species or subspecies. More recent treatment in the supplied sources recognises one highly variable species, Notechis scutatus, although some threatened regional forms continue to be assessed separately.

The supplied project information identifies Notechis scutatus as EPBC Act Vulnerable. The government review extract records Notechis scutatus as LC at species level and Notechis scutatus ater as VU, so project teams should check the current EPBC listing and the relevant state or territory listing before assessment.

Habitat: Wetland and riparian habitat

Tiger Snakes use wet and dry habitats, provided that water, prey and ground cover are available. Wetlands and drainage features are particularly important in areas where surrounding swamps and floodplains have been cleared or degraded.

Typical habitats include marshes, swamps, creeks, dams, drains, lagoons, lake edges, river floodplains and well-vegetated drainage lines. Healthy wetlands can support Tiger Snakes by maintaining frogs and dense vegetation.

The Flinders Ranges population uses narrow creek valleys lined with river red gums and sugar gums. During wetter periods, snakes shelter in debris piles formed by higher flows, and during summer they occur around residual waterholes.

On development sites, map permanent and seasonal water, drainage lines, floodplain depressions, dense riparian vegetation and connected cover before clearing or earthworks begin.

Habitat: Terrestrial habitat

The species also occurs in open sclerophyll forest, open woodland, heathy woodland, tussock grassland, heath, coastal dunes, rocky outcrops and grazing land. Grazed or degraded areas may still be used where water and local cover remain.

In the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges, preferred broad vegetation groups include riparian vegetation, heathy woodland and wetland. Historical distribution there followed wetter gullies and watercourses extending from the lower River Murray.

Tiger Snakes can climb vegetation and human structures. Retain consideration of vertical as well as ground-level habitat around construction compounds, bridges, drains and buildings.

Vegetation communities named: Riparian, wetland, heathy woodland, open sclerophyll forest, woodland, heath and tussock grassland.

Elevation range: Sea level to above 1,000 m in Tasmania.

Climate and seasonal limit: Activity is greatest in warmer conditions, although snakes may bask on warm winter days. Cool periods may be spent in deep shelters.

Foraging habitat: Diet

Tiger Snakes are generalist predators and often forage where wetland prey and dense cover meet. They search on land and in water, and can exploit artificial water features and modified sites if prey and shelter persist.

Recorded prey includes fish, frogs, tadpoles, lizards, birds, mammals and carrion. Mainland snakes predominantly feed on frogs and lizards, while Tasmanian and island populations may take more mammals, birds or locally abundant prey.

Some island populations specialise according to available prey. Roxby Island snakes mainly eat small skinks, while Chappell Island snakes take seasonally abundant muttonbird chicks. Cannibalism has also been reported.

Tiger Snakes may swallow invertebrates, although some records may represent invertebrates taken with carrion. They subdue prey rapidly with venom and may also use constriction.

Mainland diet: Predominantly frogs and lizards, with occasional small mammals and birds.

Broader recorded diet: Fish, frogs, tadpoles, lizards, birds, mammals, carrion and possibly invertebrates.

Underwater foraging: Snakes can search underwater and have remained submerged for at least 9 minutes.

Foraging habitat: Foraging sites and behaviour

Foraging occurs along creek margins, wetlands, drains, dams, floodplains, residual stream pools, dense vegetation and adjacent open ground. The species is mainly diurnal or crepuscular, but may forage at night in warm weather.

Tiger Snakes readily search underwater. They may also climb, and a bat has been recorded from a museum specimen, showing that foraging is not restricted to the ground.

No quantitative home-range or foraging-distance estimate is provided in the supplied documents. Assess the entire connected wetland, riparian cover and adjacent terrestrial refuge rather than treating the water edge as the only habitat.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

Tiger Snakes are live-bearing and do not construct nests. Breeding and birth sites are likely to be associated with secure, well-covered terrestrial habitat near productive wetlands or other prey-rich areas, but the supplied documents do not define a single breeding-site structure.

Males engage in combat at the beginning of the breeding season by pressing down the other snake’s head while the bodies become partly intertwined. Mating has been reported in late summer, including March, and may last up to seven hours in Tasmania.

Females may remain relatively sedentary when gravid. One Tasmanian female reportedly stayed at a home site for 50 days. In south-western Australia, females give birth to live young from 17 March to 18 May.

Newborns emerge from membranous sacs and are independent after birth. Protect likely shelter sites and nearby movement routes during the mating and birth period.

Breeding season: Mating has been reported in late summer, including March. Births in south-western Australia have been recorded from 17 March to 18 May.

Litter size: 10 to 64 in south-western Australia; another source reports usual litters of 17 to 23 and a record of 109.

Gestation: Not reported in the supplied documents.

Age at maturity: South-western Australian females mature at a snout to vent length of at least 763 mm. In Tasmania, males may mature at about 500 g; females at a snout to vent length of 850 mm and a mass of at least 325 g.

Incubation: Not applicable. Young are born live from membranous sacs.

Lifespan: Not reported in the supplied documents.

Breeding habitat: Breeding habitat features

Breeding habitat should include secure ground cover, shelter from weather and predators, and access to frogs, lizards or other prey. Wetland margins, riparian vegetation, dense matted vegetation, fallen timber, debris piles and disused animal burrows may all form part of the breeding area.

The documents do not provide a measured breeding-home-range size or a specific birth shelter dimension. Treat connected wetland and terrestrial cover as one habitat unit during impact assessment.

Sheltering habitat: Ground refuges

Tiger Snakes use a wide range of ground and elevated refuges. Shelter is especially important during cool periods, after hydrological changes and where dense wetland cover has been reduced.

Recorded or reported shelters include fallen timber, deep matted vegetation, disused animal burrows, large boulders, standing dead trees, debris piles and ground objects. In the Flinders Ranges, snakes use debris piles beside creeks during wetter months.

During cool periods, snakes may aestivate in animal burrows, beneath large boulders and in standing dead trees. They may shelter as deep as 1.2 m underground.

As many as 26 neonates have been found together in a winter shelter, indicating that one refuge can contain multiple young snakes. Retain logs, rock piles, burrows, dense grass and other cover until a fauna spotter catcher has checked the clearing area.

Recorded shelter depth: Up to 1.2 m underground during cool periods.

Group shelter observation: Up to 26 neonates have been found together in a winter shelter.

Shelter types: Animal burrows, large boulders, standing dead trees, fallen timber, dense matted vegetation, debris piles and ground objects.

Sheltering habitat: Elevated refuges

Unlike most Australian elapids, Tiger Snakes climb well on vegetation and human structures. Individuals have been found as high as 10 m above ground.

Inspect elevated vegetation, stacked materials, structures and bridge or drainage infrastructure where suitable cover connects to wetland or riparian habitat. Do not assume that a site is unsuitable because ground refuges are absent.

Recorded climbing height: Up to 10 m above ground.

Threats: Clearing and construction

The main project risks are loss of wetland and riparian habitat, removal of shelter, reduced frog populations, roads and direct killing. Hydrology change can affect both the snake and its prey, while fragmented habitat can isolate local populations.

Clearance of swamps, drainage lines, floodplains, wetland margins and dense ground cover removes shelter and foraging habitat. The Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges profile links local scarcity to the reduction of swamps through land clearing.

Removing fallen timber, debris piles, boulders, standing dead trees, matted vegetation and disused burrows can destroy refuges even when the main wetland is retained.

Before clearing, search likely refuges and maintain a connected buffer of wetland, riparian and terrestrial cover where practicable. Use a qualified fauna spotter catcher and a site-specific relocation and incident procedure.

Threats: Hydrology and prey loss

River regulation and altered water management affect wetland biodiversity. Reduced wetland health can reduce frogs and wetland vegetation, which are important resources for anurophagous snakes and other Tiger Snake populations.

Drainage, infilling, bank works, altered flooding, loss of residual pools and poor water quality may reduce feeding habitat or separate wetland refuges from surrounding cover.

Environmental watering can improve wetland vegetation and frog populations, showing that hydrology and prey availability are direct management considerations rather than separate issues.

Threats: Roads, predators and direct mortality

Road construction and vehicle movements can kill Tiger Snakes. The species has also been routinely killed when encountered, and deliberate or inadvertent killing remains a documented threat.

Foxes, dogs and cats can prey on young snakes. Other recorded predators include butcherbirds, goshawks, harriers, ibises, kites, kookaburras and the elapid Cryptophis nigrescens.

Plan vehicle access, speed controls, fauna signage and spotter procedures around wetland crossings and known shelter areas. Do not encourage workers to approach or kill snakes.

Threats: Fire, disease and fragmentation

The supplied documents do not identify fire as a specific threat to Tiger Snakes, so fire effects should be assessed locally in relation to the timing and intensity of burns, loss of cover and recovery of wetland prey.

Tiger Snakes are known to carry ticks, cestodes, nematodes, pentastomids and trematodes, but the documents do not quantify disease effects on populations. Avoid moving soil, vegetation or animals between sites without appropriate hygiene controls.

Fragmentation from urban development, roads and clearing can remove links between wetlands, riparian corridors and terrestrial shelters. The supplied documents do not provide a measured minimum corridor width or dispersal distance.

Survey methodology: 1. Habitat assessment and records review

Survey effort should target warm-weather activity, wetland edges, drainage lines, floodplains and other places with water and ground cover. Tiger snakes are large, terrestrial and mainly diurnal or crepuscular, but may forage at night in warm weather.

Map wetlands, swamps, creeks, dams, drains, lagoons, floodplains, vegetated drainage lines, dense ground cover, fallen timber, rock piles and disused animal burrows before selecting survey methods.

Review recent and historical records, state databases, museum records, protected matters information and local ecological reports because the species has a non-continuous distribution in south-eastern and south-western Australia.

Treat suitable habitat as potentially occupied where records are old or absent, because tiger snakes can occur in degraded grazing land and other modified areas where water and local cover remain.

Typical adult length: About 1.2 m on the mainland; reported populations range from 1.0 m on Roxby Island to 2.4 m on Chappell Island, with mainland individuals reaching about 2.1 m.

Key habitat: Marshes, swamps, lake edges, river floodplains, creeks, dams, drains, lagoons, coastal dunes, open forest, woodland and dry sclerophyll forest where cover and water occur.

Survey methodology: 2. Diurnal active searches

Search during warm weather when snakes are active, concentrating on wetland margins, drying stream beds, residual pools, vegetated drainage lines, basking sites and movement routes between water and cover.

Walk transects through suitable habitat and inspect likely sheltering sites, including fallen timber, debris piles, deep matted vegetation, animal burrows and rocks.

For the Flinders Ranges form, undertake targeted searches around residual ponds in drying stream beds from November to February, when the available guidance reports that snakes are readily located in the water while seeking food.

Search on warm days and include warm winter days where local conditions allow, because tiger snakes may bask during winter even though activity is generally higher in warmer months.

Reported activity period for the Flinders Ranges form: At least October to February, based on records of 48 individuals collected between 19 October and 15 February over four years.

Most effective seasonal habitat for the Flinders Ranges form: Residual ponds in drying stream beds during November to February.

  • Record the transect route, length, width searched, date, start and finish times, weather, air temperature if measured, water conditions, habitat condition and all observations.
  • Do not lift heavy objects or enter unstable debris without a safe method and a spotter catcher trained to manage venomous snakes.
  • Use a camera or telephoto lens for identification and retain a clear photograph where a record may be significant.

Survey methodology: 3. Nocturnal spotlight searches

Use nocturnal spotlighting on warm evenings where the project contains wetlands, drainage lines, creek margins, dams, lagoons or dense cover connected to those habitats.

Search slowly along the water edge, banks, access tracks and adjacent cover, checking both the ground and low vegetation because tiger snakes climb well and have been recorded up to 10 m above ground.

Give priority to warm evenings and hot-weather periods, when the species may forage at night rather than during the day.

Underwater persistence: Tiger snakes can search underwater and have been recorded remaining submerged for at least 9 minutes.

Reported climbing height: Individuals have been found as high as 10 m above the ground.

  • Record the number of observers, hours searched, route length, weather, wind, temperature if measured, water level and habitat searched for each night.
  • Do not approach, capture or handle a snake during spotlighting unless the person is authorised and equipped under the project fauna management plan and relevant state requirements.

Survey methodology: 4. Trapping and aquatic searches

Do not assume pitfall or other trapping is suitable for this large snake without a project-specific design, welfare review and approval from the relevant wildlife authority.

Use aquatic searches only where they can be completed safely and lawfully, with particular attention to residual pools, wetland margins and stream beds used by prey and sheltering snakes.

The available species guidance states that large snakes are difficult to trap and that active hand searching and walked transects through likely habitat are generally more suitable detection methods.

  • If trapping is proposed, document trap type, placement, shade, escape prevention, inspection frequency, weather limits, venomous snake procedures and an animal welfare contingency before deployment.
  • Close or remove traps during heat, flooding, fire risk or other conditions that could cause unacceptable harm.
  • Do not use trapping effort as evidence of absence unless the method, timing, habitat coverage and inspection effort are adequate for the site.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

  • Survey all suitable habitat within the disturbance footprint and any connected habitat that may be used for movement, shelter or foraging.
  • Use warm-weather diurnal searches as the primary method and add warm-evening spotlighting where nocturnal activity, wetlands or dense cover make it appropriate.
  • For Flinders Ranges habitat, include walked transects through residual ponds and drying stream beds during November to February where access and safety allow.
  • Repeat surveys when one season cannot provide reasonable detection confidence, especially where weather, flooding, drought, dense cover or restricted access reduces detectability.
  • Record negative results with the surveyed area, transect distance, search time, methods, dates, weather, habitat condition and observer details.
  • Submit confirmed records, clear photographs and location data to the relevant state or territory wildlife database and museum, and follow any state requirement for records of threatened fauna.
  • Forward potential Flinders Ranges records to the relevant South Australian fauna authority and the South Australian Museum for identification and databasing.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise habitat loss

Plan the project around the species’ association with water, shelter and frog prey. Avoid removing connected wetland and drainage-line habitat wherever practicable, and resolve regulatory requirements before clearing or construction starts.

  • Retain wetlands, swamps, creek lines, dams, drains, floodplain vegetation, vegetated drainage lines and residual pools within the project area wherever practicable.
  • Retain fallen timber, dense ground cover, rocks, debris piles and disused burrows that can provide shelter, unless removal is required for safety or approved construction.
  • Maintain links between water, shelter and adjacent woodland, heath, grassland or floodplain habitat so snakes can move between foraging and shelter sites.
  • Do not apply a generic buffer distance unless it is supported by the approval, fauna management plan or project ecologist; set site-specific exclusion areas around occupied or high-value habitat.
  • Avoid works that reduce frog populations or degrade wetland vegetation, because tiger snakes commonly use frogs and wetlands provide important prey and cover.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and work planning

  • Confirm the current EPBC Act status and whether the proposed action may have a significant impact on the nationally listed population or taxon before disturbance.
  • Obtain all required state or territory wildlife permits for survey, capture, handling, relocation and keeping fauna temporarily.
  • Prepare a fauna management plan that names the authorised fauna spotter catcher, defines stop-work triggers, sets search and release procedures, and includes emergency arrangements for venomous snakebite.
  • Stage clearing from retained habitat towards already disturbed ground so animals have an opportunity to move into suitable retained habitat.
  • Schedule targeted searches and high-risk clearing for warm-weather periods when detection is more likely, while avoiding times of extreme heat, flooding, fire danger or unsafe conditions.
  • Consult the relevant state authority where the project is in or near a recognised threatened population, including the Flinders Ranges population in South Australia or the Chappell Island population in Tasmania.

Before habitat disturbance: Pre-clearance preparation

  • Complete a pre-clearance inspection immediately before works in suitable habitat, including wetland edges, drainage lines, residual pools, dense vegetation, logs, rocks, debris and burrows.
  • Mark retained wetlands, drainage lines, shelter features, movement routes and no-go areas on plans and on the ground.
  • Install exclusion fencing only where it can be maintained without trapping snakes, blocking access to retained habitat or forcing animals towards machinery.
  • Brief all workers that tiger snakes are venomous, may flatten the neck and body when threatened, and must not be approached, chased or killed.
  • Check that machinery operators, supervisors and spotter catchers can communicate clearly and can stop work immediately.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls and machinery interface

Treat every suitable wetland, drainage line and shelter feature as capable of containing a tiger snake. The fauna spotter catcher must control the immediate work area, keep people and machinery away from the animal, and apply the approved handling and relocation procedure.

  • Conduct a daily pre-start inspection of the active work area, access tracks, stockpiles, spoil piles, water edges, logs, rocks, debris and other shelter features.
  • Keep the fauna spotter catcher ahead of clearing and maintain clear radio or hand-signal communication with each machine operator.
  • Stop the machine before the spotter catcher enters the exclusion zone, investigates cover or directs an animal away from the work area.
  • Clear vegetation in short, controlled sections from retained habitat towards disturbed ground, with pauses for inspection after each section.
  • Do not leave open trenches, pipes, pits, stockpiles or other potential shelters unattended where an animal could enter and become trapped.
  • Inspect trenches, pits and pipe sections at the start and end of each work period and before backfilling.

During habitat disturbance: Habitat feature handling

  • Inspect logs, rocks, debris piles, deep matted vegetation and animal burrows before moving, slashing, burning or burying them.
  • Move shelter features only under the direction of the fauna spotter catcher, using machinery that allows the operator to stop immediately if a snake is detected.
  • Keep retained wetland margins, creek banks, residual pools and vegetated drainage lines outside the work area unless their disturbance is approved.
  • Do not drain or fill residual pools without checking for tiger snakes and other aquatic or wetland fauna under the fauna management plan.
  • Store removed logs and rocks in a designated location where they cannot obstruct fauna movement, create a worker hazard or attract animals into the active work zone.

During habitat disturbance: If a tiger snake is found

Threat behaviour: A cornered tiger snake may raise its head, flatten its neck and forebody, hiss and strike.

Medical risk: The venom contains procoagulant and neurotoxic components; suspected bites require immediate medical attention.

  • Stop work immediately within the animal’s vicinity and keep workers, vehicles and the public outside the exclusion area.
  • Do not attempt to catch, pin, kill, photograph at close range or otherwise disturb the snake unless authorised personnel are present and the approved procedure allows it.
  • Allow the fauna spotter catcher to identify the animal from a safe distance and decide whether it can move unaided into retained habitat.
  • Use only a suitably authorised and experienced handler for capture, containment, transport or relocation of this venomous species.
  • Relocate the snake only to nearby, suitable retained habitat approved by the ecologist or relevant authority, with water, cover and a safe route away from machinery.
  • Transport an injured snake to an appropriately experienced veterinarian or licensed wildlife carer as soon as practicable, following permit and welfare requirements.
  • Resume work only after the spotter catcher confirms that the animal has left the work area or has been safely managed and the stop-work record is complete.

During habitat disturbance: Stop-work triggers and records

  • Stop work if a tiger snake is found, if the spotter catcher loses sight of an animal in the active work area, or if machinery cannot be kept outside the exclusion zone.
  • Stop work if flooding, extreme heat, fire risk, poor visibility or unstable ground makes searching or handling unsafe.
  • Record each observation, including date, time, GPS location, habitat, behaviour, photographs, identification, action taken, handler, release location and any injury.
  • Report a death, injury, unapproved handling, bite incident or suspected impact to the project environmental officer and relevant authority under the approval and fauna management plan.
  • Maintain a daily fauna register showing areas searched, work completed, animals encountered, clearances issued and unresolved risks.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance checks

Post-clearance work must confirm that animals have not been left in the disturbance area and that retained habitat remains connected and usable. Continue controls until pits, trenches, temporary fencing and other hazards are removed.

  • Complete a final inspection of the cleared area, retained habitat edges, trenches, pits, pipes, spoil piles and temporary structures before the area is released to construction or operations.
  • Search retained wetland margins, drainage lines, residual pools and nearby cover after clearing where the work has displaced animals or changed access to shelter.
  • Remove temporary exclusion fencing, waste, netting and other materials that could entangle snakes or block movement once they are no longer required.
  • Backfill or securely cover pits, trenches and pipes that could trap a tiger snake, and inspect them until they are closed.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and reporting

  • Monitor retained wetlands, drainage lines, shelter features and relocation areas during warm-weather activity periods, with additional checks after major rainfall or water delivery.
  • Use the same search routes and recording fields during follow-up surveys so changes in detections and habitat condition can be compared.
  • Report confirmed records, mortality, injuries, relocations and habitat impacts to the approval holder, project ecologist and relevant state or territory wildlife database.
  • Continue daily fauna controls while construction leaves open trenches, active stockpiles, exposed pipes, altered water bodies or other temporary hazards.
  • Assess whether additional protection, habitat restoration, approval variation or an offset is required where approved impacts exceed the project prediction.

Rehabilitation actions: Restore habitat structure

Rehabilitation should restore the combination of water, ground cover, shelter and prey habitat used by tiger snakes. Prioritise local wetland and riparian structure, safe movement routes and long-term control of predators and weeds.

  • Re-establish native wetland, riparian, floodplain, heath, woodland or open forest vegetation appropriate to the local ecological community.
  • Restore vegetated drainage lines and wetland margins rather than creating isolated water points with no surrounding cover.
  • Reinstate suitable fallen timber, rocks, coarse woody debris, dense ground cover and secure shelter sites where these features were removed and their return is safe.
  • Design ponds, swales and drainage works with shallow vegetated margins, stable banks and nearby cover, while preventing steep-sided pits that can trap snakes.
  • Maintain movement links between wetlands, creeks, dams, floodplains and adjacent terrestrial habitat.

Rehabilitation actions: Manage threats

  • Control invasive weeds that reduce native ground cover or alter shelter around wetlands and drainage lines.
  • Reduce access by domestic dogs and cats and manage foxes where required by the approved rehabilitation or threatened species plan.
  • Avoid pesticide use near wetland and frog habitat unless approved controls show that impacts on snakes, frogs and other fauna will be prevented or minimised.
  • Use fire planning that protects wetland margins, dense refuge vegetation, fallen timber and other shelter features from unnecessary burning.
  • Maintain water regimes that support wetland vegetation and frogs without creating unsafe construction hazards or introducing persistent water where the local system is naturally ephemeral.

Rehabilitation actions: Monitor success

  • Inspect rehabilitation during warm-weather periods using repeatable diurnal searches and, where suitable, warm-evening spotlighting along wetland and drainage-line margins.
  • Measure establishment of native vegetation, retention of ground cover, condition of logs and rocks, water persistence, frog activity, weed cover and predator activity.
  • Use tiger snake records, or a documented increase in suitable habitat and prey indicators where the species is difficult to detect, as part of the success assessment.
  • Continue monitoring for the period required by the approval and revise watering, weed, predator, fire or access controls if habitat does not develop as planned.
  • Submit rehabilitation records and any confirmed tiger snake observations to the relevant state or territory wildlife database.

Sources