Yellow-faced whip snake
Demansia psammophis
Very thin and fast, grey-green with a pale ring around the eye.
Habitat and distribution
Open country and suburbs across much of the east and inland.
Safety
Bites are painful but rarely serious for adults. Still worth a check-up.
Quick facts
- Venom
- Venomous, but bites are rarely serious for adults. Expect pain and swelling. Children and anyone with symptoms should still get medical care.
- Size
- Usually 60 to 80 cm, occasionally up to 1 m.
- Active
- By day, including warm days in winter. Very fast.
- Diet
- Mainly small lizards such as skinks, plus frog eggs and frogs.
Often confused with
- Eastern brown snake (Pseudonaja textilis)
- Common tree snake (Dendrelaphis punctulatus)
Common questions
Are whip snakes venomous or poisonous?
Whip snakes are venomous. The yellow-faced whip snake is not usually dangerous to adults, but a bite can be painful and should be checked by a doctor. Snakes are venomous rather than poisonous. The risk comes from a bite, so any suspected bite should be treated as an emergency and you should call 000.
How do you recognise a yellow-faced whip snake?
It is slender and fast with a pale, yellowish ring or comma mark around the eye and a dark line below it. Do not get close to look.
Where it is found
Approximate range based on AROD, adapted to our dot grid. Approximate historical reference range; not a habitat or absence assessment. Listed for 9,770 towns and suburbs. Ranges are approximate and do not confirm occurrence at a particular address.
- Capital Region, NSW
- Central Coast, NSW
- Central West, NSW
- Coffs Harbour - Grafton, NSW
- Far West and Orana, NSW
- Hunter Valley exc Newcastle, NSW
- Illawarra, NSW
- Mid North Coast, NSW
- Murray, NSW
- New England and North West, NSW
- Newcastle and Lake Macquarie, NSW
- Other NSW localities, NSW
- Richmond - Tweed, NSW
- Riverina, NSW
- Southern Highlands and Shoalhaven, NSW
- Sydney - Baulkham Hills and Hawkesbury, NSW
- Sydney - Blacktown, NSW
- Sydney - City and Inner South, NSW
- Sydney - Eastern Suburbs, NSW
- Sydney - Inner South West, NSW
- Sydney - Inner West, NSW
- Sydney - North Sydney and Hornsby, NSW
- Sydney - Northern Beaches, NSW
- Sydney - Outer South West, NSW
- Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains, NSW
- Sydney - Parramatta, NSW
- Sydney - Ryde, NSW
- Sydney - South West, NSW
- Sydney - Sutherland, NSW
- Brisbane - East, QLD
- Brisbane - North, QLD
- Brisbane - South, QLD
- Brisbane - West, QLD
- Brisbane Inner City, QLD
- Cairns, QLD
- Central Queensland, QLD
- Darling Downs - Maranoa, QLD
- Gold Coast, QLD
- Ipswich, QLD
- Logan - Beaudesert, QLD
- Mackay - Isaac - Whitsunday, QLD
- Moreton Bay - North, QLD
- Moreton Bay - South, QLD
- Other QLD localities, QLD
- Queensland - Outback, QLD
- Sunshine Coast, QLD
- Toowoomba, QLD
- Townsville, QLD
- Wide Bay, QLD
- Adelaide - Central and Hills, SA
- Adelaide - North, SA
- Adelaide - South, SA
- Adelaide - West, SA
- Barossa - Yorke - Mid North, SA
- Other SA localities, SA
- South Australia - Outback, SA
- South Australia - South East, SA
- Bendigo, VIC
- North West, VIC
- Other VIC localities, VIC
Call 1800 4 SNAKE (1800 476 253)
If someone has been bitten, call 000. Never approach or handle a snake to identify it.