Acanthophis rugosus
Silhouette: SeismicShrimp · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
The rough-scaled death adder (Acanthophis rugosus) is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. They are native to northern Australia, particularly Arnhem Land. Rough-scaled death adders are native to deserts. Death adders are generalists that feed upon small mammals, birds, lizards, and frogs. It is likely that allometric (size-related) shifts occur, with smaller specimens feeding more upon lizards and frogs and larger specimens including more mammals in their diets. Regional and interspecific differences in diet may also occur, although these are poorly documented. Like other species in the Elapidae family, they are ground hunters, and can wait for days and days in grass for food.
Body slender to stout, unicolour or with a patterning of crossbands, with smooth or keeled scales in 19-23 rows at midbody, head angular with elevated supraocular scales, 6-7 supralabials with temporolabial scale present, eyes small with vertically elliptical pupils, tail slender, extremely distinct from the body, terminating in a flattened spinous tip which may be black or yellow and contrasts with the dorsal body colouration. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Litchfield National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Territory Wildlife Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Terra Natura Benidorm | 🇪🇸 Spain |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Rough-scaled Death Adder sighting in Kakadu National Park on a given day, based on 18 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 21st most-seen of the 54 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January, April and November
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Rough-scaled Death Adder in Kakadu National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February–March, July–October and December, the lowest months. Those are among Kakadu National Park's wettest months, with about 170 mm of rain a month against almost none in August.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Rough-scaled Death Adder sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Rough-scaled Death Adder sightings, Kakadu National Park ranks 2nd at about 20%. The best odds are in Litchfield National Park (Australia, about 40%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Rough-scaled Death Adder is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Kakadu National Park (18 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.
