Types of hooded snakes

Suta is a genus of small, ground-dwelling snakes found only in Australia. It belongs to the family Elapidae, the same family that includes cobras, mambas, taipans, and sea snakes. Like all elapids, members of Suta have fixed front fangs, meaning short, hollow fangs set at the front of the upper jaw that deliver venom. This puts them in the proteroglyphous group, distinct from the rear-fanged colubrids and the hinged-fang vipers.

The genus sits among Australia's large radiation of small terrestrial elapids, a group that fills many of the ecological roles taken by harmless snakes on other continents. Several members carry the name hooded snake, but this refers to a dark cap or band of pigment across the head and neck rather than a spreading hood like a cobra. The common name curl snake comes from the defensive habit of throwing the body into tight coils and flattening out when disturbed.

Suta species occur widely across mainland Australia, from arid interior regions to woodlands, scrub, grasslands, and rocky country. They are nocturnal and spend the day sheltering under rocks, logs, leaf litter, soil cracks, and other ground cover, emerging after dark to forage. In general terms they are recognized as small snakes, often well under a meter, with smooth scales, a rounded snout, and many marked by a dark head or nape pattern that gives the hooded snakes their name.

These are venomous snakes, as is true of the family Elapidae, and they should be treated with caution and never handled in the wild. Most Suta species are small and not considered a serious threat to human life, and bites are uncommon because the snakes are secretive and nocturnal. Even so, a bite can cause local pain, swelling, and other effects, and the risk should not be dismissed. If anyone is bitten, treat it as a medical emergency, keep the person calm and still, and seek immediate medical care. In the United States contact Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222, and elsewhere call local emergency services.

Ecologically, Suta snakes feed largely on small vertebrates such as lizards, especially skinks, along with small frogs and occasionally other prey, which they subdue with venom. Most species in the genus give live birth rather than laying eggs, a common trait among Australian elapids that helps them reproduce in harsh and variable climates. Their nocturnal, fossorial, and shelter-seeking habits make them rarely seen, so much of what is known comes from animals found under cover or active on warm nights.