Home Reptiles of Sydney Harbour
Snakes
Snakes are a group of reptiles closely related to lizards, but which typically have long slender bodies, no limbs, and a forked tongue. There are five families of snakes found in Australia. Species from four of these families occur in terrestrial habitats in the Sydney Harbour area, and individuals of several species of sea-snakes enter the Harbour or are occasionally washed up on Sydney's beaches.
The most diverse group of snakes in Sydney are the front-fanged venomous snakes of the family Elapidae which comprises a number of species ranging in size from relatively small to almost 2 m in length. The larger species in this group of snakes have highly toxic venoms, as do sea-snakes, and should be treated with care if encountered.
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