無聊人在海角 2008-03-28

黑虎蛇

Black Tiger Snake

中名：黑虎蛇

學名：Notechis Ater

分佈：澳洲東南部 - 塔斯馬尼亞島

other：體長約1。2公尺。棲息於沙丘、海灘、草叢等地，以兩棲類、鳥類和小哺乳動物為食，胎生。

世界最毒10大名蛇中黑虎蛇排在第8位

Tiger snakes are a type of venomous serpent found in southern regions of Australia， including its coastal islands and Tasmania。 These snakes are highly variable in their colour， often banded like those on a tiger， and forms in their regional occurences。 All populations are in the genus Notechis， and their diverse characters have been described in further subdivisions of this group。

Habitat

King Island tiger snake， with barely visible banding， near Petrified Forest on King Island， Australia

King Island tiger snake， with barely visible banding， near Petrified Forest on King Island， Australia

Tiger snakes are found in coastal environments， wetlands， and creeks where they often form territories。 Areas with an abundance of prey， such as frogs， can support large populations。 Islands inhabited by tiger snakes are also occupied by nesting Silver Gulls， and the snake will subsist on the hatchlings。 The largest of these are made blind by the gulls pecking， so are oblivious to their harrassment。［3］ The species‘ distribution extends from the south of Western Australia through to South Australia， Tasmania， up through Victoria， and New South Wales。 Its common habitat includes the coastal areas of Australia。 Tiger snakes are commonly found along inland waterways and around the lower lakes of the River Murray （e。g。， Lake Alexandrina， Lake Albert and along the Coorong）。

The tiger snakes wetland habitat have often become the site of suburban development， leading to frequent encounters with people during the twentieth century。 This change in land-use has greatly reduced the available food for Notechis， especially the reduction of frog populations。