Ophidiophobics should fret not, but Australia has a new species of snake. Scientists have identified a new type of death adder in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.



Named the Kimberley death adder, or Acanthophis cryptamydros, the snake is about 50cm long and has a diamond-shaped head.

Scientists from Australia and the UK discovered the snake is different from the death adders found around Darwin in the Northern Territory. Previously it was thought the same species extended to the Kimberley, but an examination of 20 snakes found in the WA region has its very own death adder.

The death adder family is, true to their moniker, considered to be among the most venomous snakes in the world. Before antivenom was available, around half of the people bitten by death adders suffered paralysis and death.

Death adders are now far more at risk from humans, however, with numbers falling due to habitat destruction and the introduction of feral animals such as cats and foxes.

The Kimberley death adder has a distinctive scale formation on its head. Like other death adders, it is a “sit and wait” predator, choosing to lie in wait in order to strike its prey, most commonly birds, lizards and small animals.

The Kimberley death adder’s diamond-shaped head has a distinctive scale formation. Photograph: R Ellis/WA Museum

Paul Doughty, curator of herpetology at the Western Australian Museum, said 15 snakes were sent from the Northern Territory to compare with the Kimberley species in terms of genetics and physical features.

“It was a surprise to see that the Kimberley has its own death adder, more closely related to the desert death adders out there,” Doughty told Guardian Australia.

“These snakes are super-camouflaged – its idea is to look like a rock or a bunch of leaves. Unlike a brown snake they aren’t designed for speed at all, they are quite slow. They use their tail like a lure, they will dangle it down while it’s hidden until a lizard or something comes close and then it will strike.

“They are in the top 10 venomous snakes in the world. You definitely have to handle them carefully.”

The elusive snakes are thought to be most abundant in the north-west part of the Kimberley region. And, although numbers are thought to be low, scientists don’t believe they are in immediate danger of extinction due to their isolation from key threats.

The discovery of the new death adder follows a slew of other recent discoveries in the Kimberley. A total of six new frog species have been identified since 2006, including a huge amphibian that eats other frogs.

The world’s smallest species of goanna, measuring just 23cm and weighing 16g , was found in December, while several new geckos have also recently been unearthed.

“There’s quite a big sexy gecko called the large velvet gecko – it’s very soft and have hands that are very grippy, when you hold them they hold you back,” Doughty said.

“The Kimberley is an isolated corner of Australia with relic species clinging on for millions of years. There is a huge untapped diversity that we’re just getting a handle on.

“I could easily point to 20 or 30 specimens we have here that haven’t been described. I won’t run out of things to describe from the Kimberley in my career and my successor won’t run out either.”

Doughty said while the Kimberley is largely inaccessible to people, especially during the wet season, its species face threats from changed fire regimes and feral animals.

The WA government has said it is addressing the conservation of the region through an $81m plan that has removed feral cattle, handed environmental work to traditional owners and created Australia’s largest national park through land handed back by Rio Tinto.