No. 0164 of 1,402
Red-bellied black snake
Pseudechis porphyriacus
Australian snakes🦷 Bites
Danger to people: SeriousA bite or sting needs a doctor. Deaths are very rare.Red-bellied black snake belongs to the group: Australian snakes. It lives in: Australia & Oceania.2
Venom power
Bites
Venom comes out through its fangs or teeth when it bites.
How dangerous is it to people?
Danger to people: SeriousA bite or sting needs a doctor. Deaths are very rare.🚑 If it bites or stings
- Pressure immobilisation: wrap a firm elastic bandage over the bite and then up the whole limb, splint it, and keep the person completely still until help arrives.
- Do not wash the bite: hospitals can test the venom left on the skin to choose the right antivenom.
Always call your emergency number first (112, 000, 911). This is general first aid guidance, not medical advice. First aid basics
⛑️ Stay safe
- Never touch, catch or tease a wild animal, even a small one, and even if it looks asleep or dead.
- Give it space. If you meet one, stay calm, step back slowly and let it go its own way.
- If one bites or stings you: stay calm, keep still, call your emergency number (112, 000, 911) or get to a hospital fast. Remember what it looked like, a photo helps.
It is not out to get you. It uses its venom to catch food or to protect itself, and it would much rather hide. More about staying safe
Where in the world?
How big is it?
How long is it?
as long as 3 house cats nose to tail🍌as long as 8 bananas end to end🏃could cover 100 metres in 46 seconds (the fastest human needs 9.6)How big is Red-bellied black snake compared to YOU?
Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.
How fast is it?
A person walking about 5 km/h (3.1 mph)
Red-bellied black snake about 7.8 km/h (4.8 mph)
A kid on a bike about 12 km/h (7.5 mph)
A galloping horse about 65 km/h (40 mph)
Where the facts come from
- Pseudechis porphyriacus (iNaturalist): names and classification.
- Venom Wiki: the danger level, the typical size and the speed guess are our own. See how we work them out: How we rate danger.
Every fact on this page has a number that points to its source. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are animal fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
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