第 0172 號，共 1 402 號

Tiger snake

Notechis scutatus

名字的由來： Named for its banding, which is black and yellow like a tiger's stripes.1

致命地球上最致命的動物之一。如果牠咬了你，要立刻求救。快速救援和抗毒血清能救活大多數人。立刻打緊急電話。

澳洲的蛇

咬吃：肉

對人的危險: 致命世界上最危險的動物之一。

The tiger snake is a large, highly venomous snake that lives in southern Australia, including its coastal islands and Tasmania. It gets its name from the black and yellow bands that look like a tiger's stripes, although its colours vary a lot. Its bite can be fatal, so it is one of the snakes that people in Australia are taught to respect and recognise.1

分布在

Southern Australia, including its coastal islands and Tasmania1

澳洲與大洋洲

首頁

Tiger snakes are usually found in coastal regions. They favour wetlands, creeks, dams and other places near watercourses, and in pastoral (farming) areas they shelter near permanent water. They are usually ground-dwelling, but they can swim and climb into trees and buildings.1

長度

90 cm 到 2 m (3 ft 到 6,6 ft)1

最高速度

大約 7,3 km/h（4,5 mph）

在陸地上, 粗略估計

牠吃什麼？

Tiger snakes use their venom to kill their prey. Island populations have evolved larger heads to cope with large prey animals.1

Tiger snake 的照片 — Tiger snake。照片：Max Tibby。 CC0, Wikimedia Commons.

怎麼認出牠

Banded pattern of darker bands that may be strongly contrasting or faint, in colours from pale to very dark.1
Base colours of olive, yellow, orange-brown or jet-black, with a light yellow or orange underside.1
Some populations have unbanded specimens, so bands alone are not a sure guide.1
Typically about 1.2 metres long, with a robust body and a blunt head.1

常被誤認為： Colour is an unreliable way to tell tiger snakes apart, even between their own subspecies. Accurate identification is best done by an expert using a venom test kit or by counting the scales.1

毒液力量

咬

咬的時候，毒液會從毒牙或牙齒出來。

牠的毒液有什麼作用？

Tiger snake venom contains potent neurotoxins (which attack the nerves), coagulants (which affect blood clotting), haemolysins (which break down blood cells) and myotoxins (which damage muscle). Early symptoms include localised pain in the foot and neck region, tingling, numbness and sweating. Breathing difficulties and paralysis can then follow fairly quickly.1

牠對人有多危險？

對人的危險: 致命世界上最危險的動物之一。

Tiger snakes accounted for 17% of identified snakebite victims in Australia between 2005 and 2015, with four deaths from 119 confirmed envenomations. They are potentially fatal to humans. Among snakebite deaths in Australia, only the brown snake causes more. A study reported an untreated mortality rate of 40% to 60%.1

好消息：醫生有藥（抗毒血清）或治療方法。1

牠害怕時會做什麼？

When threatened, the snake flattens its body and raises its head above the ground in a classic prestrike stance.1

如果牠咬人

Use the pressure immobilisation method. Apply broad, thick bandages over the bite, then continue down and back along the limb to the armpit or groin. Immobilise the limb with a splint. Identifying the snake is not necessary in Tasmania, because the same antivenom treats all Tasmanian snakes.1
加壓固定法：用彈性繃帶緊緊包住咬傷處，再往上包住整條手臂或腿，用夾板固定，並讓傷者完全不動，直到救援抵達。
不要清洗咬傷處：醫院可以檢驗留在皮膚上的毒液，選出正確的抗毒血清。

一定要先打緊急電話（112、000、911）。這是一般急救指引，不是醫療建議。急救基本知識

注意安全

絕對不要碰、抓或捉弄野生動物，就算是很小的動物，就算牠看起來在睡覺或已經死了也一樣。
給牠空間。如果遇到了，保持冷靜，慢慢往後退，讓牠自己離開。
如果被牠咬了：保持冷靜，保持不動，打緊急電話（112、000、911）或趕快去醫院。記住牠的樣子，有照片會很有幫助。

牠不是想來抓你。牠用毒液來捕捉食物或保護自己，而且牠更想躲起來。更多安全知識

在世界上的哪裡？

非洲亞洲歐洲北美洲南美洲澳洲與大洋洲

牠有多大？

牠有多長？

跟 4 隻家貓從鼻子接到尾巴一樣長跟 11 根香蕉頭尾相接一樣長可以在 49 秒內跑完 100 公尺（最快的人類需要 9.6 秒）

Tiger snake 跟「你」比起來有多大？

只是在你的瀏覽器裡做算術。什麼都不會儲存，也不會傳送到任何地方。

牠有多快？

一個正在走路的人 大約 5 km/h (3,1 mph)

Tiger snake 大約 7,3 km/h (4,5 mph)

騎腳踏車的小朋友 大約 12 km/h (7,5 mph)

值得知道

小知識

The venom yield is 35 to 65 milligrams, while the lethal dose for a human is 3 milligrams.1

The Chappell Island tiger snake is the giant of the species, averaging over 6 feet (about 1.9 metres) in length.1

Tiger snakes can be found swimming, climbing into trees and entering buildings.1

Tiger snakes are protected in most Australian states, and killing or injuring one can lead to a fine of up to A$7,500.1

Tiger snakes are tolerant of low temperatures and may be active on warmer nights.1

Tasmanian tiger snakes tend to be quiet, probably because they live in cooler areas.1

破解迷思

迷思： You can tell a tiger snake's type from its colour.

真相： Colour varies widely between individuals and seasons, so it is an unreliable way to identify a snake. A venom test kit or scale count is more accurate.1

給毒液專家

學名: Notechis scutatus
類群: 澳洲的蛇
家人: Elapidae2
排序: Squamata
各大洲: 澳洲與大洋洲
寶寶: Tiger snakes give birth to live young, usually 20 to 30 at a time. One exceptional record from an eastern female was 64.1
對人的危險: 5 / 5: 致命3