Gould's hooded snake explained

Gould's hooded snake (Suta gouldii), also known commonly as the black-headed snake and Gould's black-headed snake, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is endemic to Western Australia.

Etymology

The specific name, gouldii, is in honor of English ornithologist John Gould.^[1]

Description

Adults of S. gouldii have an average snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 30cm (10inches), and the length of the tail is on average 13.3% SVL. The maximum recorded SVL is 47cm (19inches).^[2]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitats of S. gouldii are forest, shrubland, grassland, and rocky areas.

Reproduction

S. gouldii is ovoviviparous.^[3]

Venom

Although S. gouldii is venomous, its bite is considered to be of lesser medical significance. A life-threatening envenomation is unlikely, but a debilitating injury is possible.^[4]

Further reading

• Cogger HG (2014). Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, Seventh Edition. Clayton, Victoria, Australia: CSIRO Publishing. xxx + 1,033 pp. .
• Gray JE (1841). "Description of some new Species and four new Genera of Reptiles from Western Australia, discovered by John Gould, Esq." Annals and Magazine of Natural History, [''First Series'' ] 7: 86–91. (Elaps gouldii, new species, p. 91).
• Maryan B, Brennan IG, Hutchinson MR, Geidans LS (2020). "What's under the hood? Phylogeny and taxonomy of the snake genera Parasuta Worrell and Suta Worrell (Squamata:Elapidae), with a description of a new species from the Pilbara, Western Australia". Zootaxa 4778 (1): 1–47.
• Wilson S, Swan G (2013). A Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia, Fourth Edition. Sydney: New Holland Publishers. 522 pp. .

Notes and References

1. [species:Bo Beolens|Beolens, Bo]
2. [Glen Milton Storr|Storr GM]
3. www.reptile-database.org.
4. [species:Brian Bush|Bush, Brian]