Austrelaps ramsayi
Silhouette: SeismicShrimp · PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
The highland copperhead (Austrelaps ramsayi), also known as Ramsay's copperhead, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae endemic to Australia. Gerard Krefft described the highland copperhead in 1864 as Hoplocephalus ramsayi from a specimen collected in Braidwood, New South Wales. The specific name, ramsayi, is in honour of Edward Pierson Ramsay, who was an Australian ornithologist, herpetologist, and who collected the holotype specimen.
Austrelaps ramsayi has an average total length (including tail) of 130 cm (51 inches). Variable in colour, ranging from pale to dark grey, through reddish-brown or chocolate brown to almost black above but always low gloss or matt sheen; noticeably enlarged lateral scales may be cream, yellow or reddish-brown (typically yellow paraventral scales bordered above by reddish-brown); while the supralabial (upper lip) scales are strongly barred, the pale, triangular lower front corner of each labial strongly contrasting with the remainder of the scale, which is dark brown. Belly cream to pale yellow or sometimes leaden-coloured.
The highlands copperhead inhabits the Alpine regions... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kosciuszko National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Likely
About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Highlands Copperhead sighting in Kosciuszko National Park on a given day, based on 136 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the most-seen of the 20 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March and December
In those months about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Highlands Copperhead in Kosciuszko National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July and August, the lowest months.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Highlands Copperhead sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Highlands Copperhead sightings, Kosciuszko National Park has the highest daily chance: about 60%. Next come Blue Mountains National Park (Australia, about 30%).
Same family: Elapidae
The closest relatives of the Highlands Copperhead that you can see in Kosciuszko National Park (family Elapidae, Elapid Snakes) are White-lipped Snake (about 40%), Eastern Tiger Snake (about 20%) and Eastern Brown Snake (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Highlands Copperhead is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Kosciuszko National Park (136 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.
