Fun Red-naped Snake Facts For Kids

A common inhabitant of the Australian continent, the Red-naped snake belongs to the animal kingdom of class Reptilia, family Elapidae, and genus Furina. Its scientific name is Furina diadema. Studies show that these snakes evolved from Asian elapid snakes that had migrated to Australia several decades ago. It is known to inhabit a dry, subtropical environment and is typically found in coastal forests, grasslands, woodlands, and so on. Even though this is a venomous species, they do not tend to cause harm to humans, unless provoked enough. The physical appearance of this snake is extremely captivating for the diamond or crescent-shaped orange-red patch found on its neck. It acutely resembles a juvenile eastern brown snake. The Red-naped snake is nocturnal and preys on small skinks or lizards. It is a small, light-weighted snake that has several predators. Although they are pretty abundant in Queensland, lately, they have been listed Threatened in Victoria for having a severely fragmented distribution.

Keep reading to learn more extraordinary facts about the Red-naped snake! Check out baird's rat snake and long-nosed snake to learn more about them.

What type of animal is a Red-naped snake?

A Red-naped snake (Furina diadema) is a snake species that belong to the animal kingdom of the family Elapidae and genus Furina. It resembles the juvenile version of an Eastern brown snake.

What class of animal does a Red-naped snake belong to?

This snake belongs to the class of Reptilia. Its scientific name is Furina diadema.

How many Red-naped snakes are there in the world?

Although listed as Least Concern in Queensland for its abundant population within its geographical range, this snake has been showing a decreasing population pattern of late for which it has been listed as Threatened in Victoria. However, the exact number of adult individuals that are living in the world is yet to be recorded.

Where does a Red-naped snake live?

This snake species are found in abundance in Australia. The countries where this snake species is located in abundance are South Australia, Queensland, and New South Wales. However, they are listed as Threatened in Victoria.

What is a Red-naped snake's habitat?

Being a terrestrial snake species, they are known to inhabit forests and grasslands. Their habitat range includes coastal forests, shrublands, savanna, acacia, heaths, dry woodlands, grasslands, and forests. They avoid wet areas such as rainforests and often seek shelter under rocks and leaves, anthills, in preexisting holes and crevices, and so on.

Who does a Red-naped snake live with?

Being solitary in nature, the red naped snake distribution is severely fragmented. However, they are also found dwelling in pairs occasionally.

How long does a Red-naped snake live?

Scientists are yet to discover the exact lifespan of these snakes that dwell in the wild.

How do they reproduce?

Alike fish and other amphibians and reptiles, the Red-naped snake (Furina diadema) is oviparous, that is, embryonic development does not occur within the mother. Females lay eggs that hatch to let the young ones out. They reproduce only once a year and their clutch size range from 2-5, 1-10, 1-5, 3-6, 8, or 3. Given a warmer climate, the eggs hatch by the month of January but, in regions with a slightly cooler climate, eggs take longer to hatch, that is, the young ones start popping out in February. The young ones take a year to become adults and need no maternal care during this time.

What is their conservation status?

Owing to its abundant population within its geographical range, the conservation status of this snake species is listed as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature or IUCN Red List. However, under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988, this snake species is listed as Threatened in Victoria for showing a decreasing population trend of late.

What does the Red-naped snake look like?

This small snake species has a partially flattened, shiny black head with small black eyes, like a few other Elapids. There is a diamond-shaped patch of orange or red on the back of its neck. The patch may also be crescent or oval in shape. There is a prominent white lining on the upper lip. The remaining body is reddish-brown in color. It has several black or dark brown scales on the dorsum that look like a net. You may confuse a red naped snake for a juvenile Eastern brown snake since there is an acute resemblance between the two.

How cute are they?

Considering the variety of colors found on the body of this snake, it does captivate eyes but absolutely lacks cuteness. It would look extremely attractive but only from a distance!

How do they communicate?

Interactions within the reptilian community are very rare. Nonetheless, scientists have studied reptilian communication and discovered instances of social interactions that take place between them. In spite of this, the communication styles of this snake species remain understudied. In general, snakes are known to communicate through chemical cues.

How big is a Red-naped snake?

An adult Red-naped snake size that resembles a juvenile Eastern brown snake has a length of 15.7 in (40 cm) while that of a baby is 4.7-5.9 in (12-15 cm). They are around ten times smaller than the cobras that grow up to 120-144 in (3-3.6 m).

How fast can a Red-naped snake move?

The speed at which this snake can glide is shrouded in mystery. However, it can be assumed that they are several times slower than the cobras.

How much does a Red-naped snake weigh?

This snake weighs around 0.3 oz (9.3 g). It is considerably lighter in comparison to the weight of a king cobra that weighs around 208 lb (5.89 kg). They weigh approximately the same as a juvenile Eastern brown snake.

What are the male and female names of the species?

There are no male or female names assigned to this species.

What would you call a baby Red-naped snake?

A baby red naped snake is known as a snakelet.

What do they eat?

The Red-naped snake is nocturnal and preys on little lizards or skinks. Burrows and fissures are places where they look for food. They indulge in over-eating during the warmer climate since they go into hibernation in winter.

Are they dangerous?

These snakes are generally non-aggressive and harmless to humans. However, they may lift their head and strike using their forehead a few times only when they are threatened or provoked, which can be deemed as an act of self-defense.

Would they make a good pet?

There are several reasons why this snake species, or reptiles, in general, do not make good pets. Firstly, this snake contains venom that has the capacity to injure humans to some extent. Hence, it is not safe for children to be around them. Secondly, they prefer to live in solitude and may not comply with interactions with humans. Lastly, they inhabit wild forests and open spaces. Hence, enclosed areas may not be suitable for their growth and well-being. In brief, petting these snakes may not be the best idea.

Did you know...

Red-naped snakes living in the subtropical environment generally reproduce more than once in a year laying a clutch of three eggs (on average) each time.

These snakes are predated by domestic cats in urban areas.

Do Red-naped snakes go into brumation?

This snake species that is closely related to the Moon Snake or the Orange-naped snake go into brumation (hibernation) during winter. They seek shelter in a previously used hibernaculum of a yellow-faced whip snake.

Are Red-naped snakes poisonous?

This species is better described as venomous than poisonous. Being venomous to the core, the Red-naped snake is surprisingly harmless to humans. They will strike using their forehead a few times only when they are threatened or provoked. Their mouth is usually closed while striking but, they may also bite at times. Antivenom injections are available worldwide to treat such bruises that are seldom fatal. They generally use their venom to kill prey.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these Chinese rat snake facts and banded water snake facts for kids.

You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one on our free printable Angry Snake coloring pages.