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Acanthophis hawkei
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
The Australian Barkly Tableland death adder (Acanthophis hawkei) is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The exact distribution of the species is unclear, but suitable habitat for the plains death adder consists of flat, treeless, cracking-soil riverine floodplains. Based on the presence of suitable habitat, the potential geographic range for this species extends from Western Queensland, across the north of the Northern Territory to north-east Western Australia. Disjunct populations of the plains death adder are known to occur in the Mitchell Grass Downs of western Queensland, the Barkly Tableland on the Northern Territory/Queensland border and east of Darwin in the Northern Territory. The snake is named after former Prime Minister of Australia Bob Hawke.
A Protected Mobility Vehicle of the Australian Army, the Hawkei PMV, is named after the species. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | National Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Plains Death Adder sighting in Kakadu National Park on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 34th most-seen of the 54 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Plains Death Adder in Kakadu National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May, July–August, October and December–February, the lowest months. That is one of Kakadu National Park's driest months, with about 50 mm of rain against 350 mm in January.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Plains Death Adder sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
Only Kakadu National Park, in our data
Kakadu National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Plains Death Adder sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Plains Death Adder is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Kakadu National Park (8 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
