Hatchlings On The Move!

Posted March 25, 2026 in General

Baby snake season is here!

Some species like Tiger Snakes, Death Adders and the Bardick (a venomous snake that not many have heard of, pictured) give birth to live young whilst our more famous species like the Dugite and King Brown are egg layers. Regardless of how they reproduce their offspring they are appearing NOW, usually anytime between February and May.

So, these little snakelings are mobile and trying to find somewhere to live. According to many snake scientists – herpetologists – most of these tiny babies are dead in a few weeks, eaten by everything from frogs to lizards, birds and mammals. Those that survive and manage to find food and shelter need also to survive the coming winter period. It is a perilous time of life to be a serpent.

So tidy up your backyard and watch out as these little things seek shelter, hopefully not near you or your pets. It is a myth that baby venomous snakes are more venomous or that they cannot control their venom like an adult snake. HOWEVER, a baby venomous snake is still dangerous – fortunately they have nothing like the volume of venom compared to a grown-up snake but take no risks. If relocating one back to the bush, please use tools and not fingers to safely help them on their way.

Baby snakes are harder to spot and have much less odour than a larger snake so it’s also harder for a trained dog to avoid them!

For free to download educational snake related posters from Animal Ark please head here.

Photo credit: Jamie Dolphin