Types of whipsnakes

Demansia is a genus of snakes in the family Elapidae, the front-fanged group that also includes cobras, mambas, taipans, and the Australian brown snakes. Like all elapids, Demansia species carry a pair of short, fixed fangs at the front of the upper jaw and deliver venom through them. The genus holds 10+ species in our database, all commonly called whipsnakes for their long, thin, fast-moving build. Australia is the center of their diversity, with a smaller presence in southern New Guinea.

These are built for speed. A typical whipsnake is slender and lightly proportioned with a long, tapering tail, and most species are modest in length, often around 0.7 to 1.5 meters depending on the species. The head is narrow and distinct from the neck, and the eyes are notably large, a clue to how they live. Several species show a pale or dark line through and around the eye, and many have a comma-shaped dark mark near the eye. The Yellow-faced Whipsnake is named for this facial coloring, while the Greater Black Whipsnake, Lesser Black Whipsnake, and Collared Whipsnake show the range of patterning across the genus.

Whipsnakes are diurnal, meaning they are active by day, and they hunt by sight in open and lightly vegetated country: grasslands, woodlands, rocky slopes, and scrub. The large eyes support a visual, pursuit-style hunting strategy. They are alert, nervous, and extremely quick to flee, which is the behavior most people will actually encounter. Their diet is dominated by lizards, especially small skinks and dragons, and they will also take frogs and reptile eggs. They are egg-laying snakes, with females depositing clutches of eggs rather than giving live birth.

Demansia are venomous, as expected for elapids, but they are generally regarded as much less dangerous to people than the large Australian elapids such as taipans, tiger snakes, and brown snakes. Bites from whipsnakes are uncommon because the animals are so quick to escape, and recorded effects from a bite tend to be local: pain, swelling, and inflammation around the bite site. They are not harmless, however, and they are not a rear-fanged group; the fangs are at the front of the mouth.

Because Demansia are genuinely venomous front-fanged snakes, never handle a wild whipsnake and never assume a bite is trivial. Snake identification in the field is unreliable, and lookalikes include far more dangerous species. If anyone is bitten, treat it as a medical emergency, keep the person calm and still, and get professional care immediately. In the United States contact Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 or call local emergency services; in Australia and elsewhere call your local emergency number and follow regional snakebite first-aid guidance from medical authorities.