Acanthophis antarcticus

3 Common Death Adder at Blue Mountains National Park, NSW

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Red colour phase. Note the spine on the tip of the tail, which is wriggled to attract prey within striking distance of this ambush predator.

2 comments

   14 Aug 2021
OMG this is incredible!
   4 Sep 2021
Thanks Aaron. Of course the tail is typically in front of the head when it's "hunting" in the ambush position. This shot shows the spine at the tip of the tail best to illustrate this genus' unique distinguishing feature. The name of the genus derives from the Ancient Greek acanthos meaning "spine" and ophis "snake", referring to the spine on the death adder's tail.

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