Types of crowned snakes

Cacophis is a genus of small burrowing snakes in the family Elapidae, the same front-fanged family that includes cobras, mambas, taipans, and Australia's brown and tiger snakes. There are four recognized species, all found only in eastern Australia. Members are commonly called crowned snakes because of a distinctive pale marking, often cream, yellow, or orange, that wraps around the nape and behind the eyes like a crown or collar.

These are among the smaller Australian elapids. Most are slender and modest in length, with several species rarely exceeding a foot or so, while the golden-crowned snake is the largest of the group. They have smooth scales, a body that is typically brown to grey or blackish above, and a paler underside. The crown marking on the head and the neck band are the most reliable field signs separating them from other small dark snakes in their range.

Crowned snakes live along the moist forests, woodlands, and suburban gardens of eastern Australia, favoring coastal and near-coastal regions. They are nocturnal and fossorial, spending the day hidden under logs, leaf litter, rocks, and debris, then emerging at night to hunt. Their diet centers on small reptiles, especially skinks and reptile eggs, which suits their slim build and secretive habits. Like many small elapids, they reproduce by laying eggs.

As elapids, Cacophis species are venomous and front-fanged, but they are very small snakes with limited venom yield, and they are not considered dangerous to people. A defensive crowned snake will often raise the front of its body and make mock strikes that rarely make contact, a bluff display rather than a serious threat. Bites are uncommon and generally cause only minor local effects, but no wild venomous snake should be handled.

If a bite from any Australian elapid occurs, treat it as a medical situation rather than guessing at severity in the field. Keep the person calm and still and seek professional medical care immediately. In the United States contact Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222, and anywhere call your local emergency services for snakebite first aid and antivenom guidance.