Micropechis

Micropechis is a small genus in the family Elapidae, the same group that includes cobras, mambas, taipans, and sea snakes. It is generally treated as containing a single species, Micropechis ikaheka, known as the Ikaheka snake or New Guinea small-eyed snake. As a true elapid, it has fixed front fangs and delivers venom by biting. It belongs to the Australasian radiation of elapids that dominates the snake fauna of New Guinea and Australia, where venomous front-fanged snakes fill many of the roles that harmless colubrids occupy elsewhere.

The genus is endemic to New Guinea and some nearby islands, where it lives across a range of lowland habitats including rainforest, grassland, gardens, plantations, and the edges of swamps and coastal areas. The Ikaheka snake is a heavy-bodied, moderately large snake that can exceed 1.5 meters, often pale to yellowish or cream with darker banding and a relatively small eye, which gives the group its common name. It is largely terrestrial and frequently active at night, and it is sometimes encountered in agricultural land where it hunts among crops and debris. Like many elapids it feeds on other small vertebrates such as lizards, frogs, small mammals, and other snakes, and it lays eggs rather than giving live birth.

This snake is dangerously venomous and is regarded as one of the more medically significant snakes within its limited range, with bites capable of causing serious systemic effects. It is not safe to handle, and any bite from a wild venomous snake is a medical emergency. Do not attempt to capture, restrain, or kill the animal. If a bite occurs, keep the person calm and still and seek emergency medical care immediately. In the United States contact Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222, and elsewhere call local emergency services. The reliable way to stay safe is to give the snake space and let it move away on its own.