Pygmy copperhead
The pygmy copperhead is a small, venomous snake found only in South Australia, mainly on Kangaroo Island and in the Fleurieu Peninsula and Mount Lofty Ranges. It is the smallest of the Australian copperheads. Its venom is dangerous, so prompt medical treatment matters.1

Ho e tseba jwang
- Dorsal scales are brown to grey, with a darker stripe along the spine.1
- The belly is cream to light grey, with red along the edges that fades to a brown-grey underside.1
- The lip scales are barred with dark colour.1
- Adults average about 80 cm long, with males usually larger than females.1
- Newborns often have paler backsides than adults.1
Hangata e ferekanngwa le: The highland and lowland copperheads are larger, and the pygmy copperhead is the smallest of the Australian copperheads. It is not closely related to the American copperhead, Agkistrodon contortrix.1
Matla a chefo
Chefo e tswa ka meno a yona a chefo (fangs) kapa ka meno a mang ha e loma.
Chefo ya yona (eo e e kenyang ka ho loma kapa ho hlaba) e etsang?
The venom is strongly neurotoxic, which means it attacks the nerves, and its toxicity is similar to that of the Indian cobra. It is weakly coagulant and strongly anticoagulant, meaning it can both disrupt blood clotting and destroy blood and muscle. Without prompt treatment, a bite can cause possibly irreversible damage to nerve endings.1
E kotsi hakae ho batho?
Kotsi ho batho: E tebilengHo longwa ho hloka ngaka. Lefu le etsahala ka seoelo haholo.Bites are considered possibly lethal. The snake is not known for being aggressive and is unlikely to attack unless it is stepped on or purposely provoked.1
Ditaba tse monate: dingaka di na le moriana (antivenom) kapa kalafo bakeng sa sena.1
E etsang ha e tshohile?
It is generally unobtrusive and usually hides under leaf litter, old iron and haystacks.1
Haeba e loma
- Prompt antivenom treatment is essential, because bites are considered lethal without it. Antivenom developed from tiger snake venom cannot completely neutralise the neurotoxicity of pygmy copperhead venom.1
- Pressure immobilisation: phuthela bandeje e tiileng e huduhang (elastiki) hodima moo e lomileng teng ebe o nyolla setho sohle, o se tlame ka splint (lepolanka la ho se tshehetsa), mme o boloke motho a sa sisinyehe ho hang ho fihlela thuso e fihla.
- O se ke wa hlatswa moo e lomileng teng: dipetlele di ka hlahloba chefo e setseng letlalong ho kgetha antivenom e nepahetseng.
Kamehla letsetsa nomoro ya tshohanyetso pele (112, 000, 911). Ena ke tataiso e akaretsang ya thuso ya pele, hase keletso ya bongaka. Metheo ya thuso ya pele
Dula o bolokehile
- O se ke wa ama, wa tshwara kapa wa tena phoofolo ya naheng, leha e le e nyenyane, le leha e shebahala e robetse kapa e shwele.
- E fe sebaka. Ha o kopana le yona, dula o kgutsitse, kgutlela morao butle mme o e tlohele e tsamaye ka tsela ya yona.
- Haeba e nngwe e o loma: dula o kgutsitse, o se ke wa sisinyeha, letsetsa nomoro ya tshohanyetso (112, 000, 911) kapa o ye sepetlele kapele. Hopola hore e ne e shebahala jwang, foto e a thusa.
Ha e o batle. E sebedisa chefo ya yona ho tshwara dijo kapa ho itshireletsa, mme e kgetha ho ipata. Ho eketsehileng ka ho dula o bolokehile
Hokae lefatsheng?
E kgolo hakae?
E telele hakae?
e telele jwaloka dikatse tsa lapeng tse 2,5 ho tloha nkong ho isa mohatleng
e telele jwaloka dibanana tse 7 tse latellanang
e ka matha metara e 100 ka metsotswana e 56 (motho ya potlakang ka ho fetisisa o hloka 9,6)Pygmy copperhead e kgolo hakae ha e bapiswa le WENA?
Ke dipalo feela ka hara sebatli sa hao. Ha ho letho le bolokwang kapa le romelwang kae kapa kae.
E potlaka hakae?
Dintlha
Sightings on islands near Tasmania are probably the result of snakes stowing away on boats.1
It is the only snake endemic to South Australia.1
It is the smallest of the Australian copperhead snakes.1
Its litter size is about half that of the other Australian copperheads, which is linked to its smaller body size.1
In field research, only about two thirds of surveyed adult females were reproductive, which suggests females do not breed every year.1
Ho senya ditshomo
Tshomo: Because it is small and not aggressive, the pygmy copperhead is harmless.
Nnete: Its venom is strongly neurotoxic, and its bite is considered possibly lethal without prompt antivenom treatment.1
Moo dintlha di tswang teng
- Pygmy copperhead (Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0))
- Austrelaps labialis (iNaturalist): mabitso le tlhophiso.
- Venom Wiki: boemo ba kotsi, boholo bo tlwaelehileng le kakanyo ya lebelo ke tsa rona. Bona kamoo re di balang ka teng: Kamoo re lekanyang kotsi ka teng.
Taba e nngwe le e nngwe leqepheng lena e na le nomoro e bontshang mohlodi wa yona. Haeba re entse phoso, re kopa tshwarelo, re barati ba diphoofolo, hase makasine wa saense. Re bolelle ho [email protected] mme re tla e lokisa.
Ho loma
