Drysdalia coronoides
Silhouette: SeismicShrimp · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week >90%
The white-lipped snake (Drysdalia coronoides) is a small species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is endemic to south-eastern mainland Australia and Tasmania. D. coronoides is the smallest of three species of snake found in Tasmania, and is Australia's most cold-tolerant snake, even inhabiting areas on Mount Kosciuszko above the snow line. Growing to only about 40 cm (16 in) in length (including tail), it feeds almost exclusively on skinks.
It belongs to the genus Drysdalia, and is often referred to as the whip snake in Tasmania (whip snake in mainland Australia usually refers to snakes from the genus Demansia which are only found on the mainland). The species gets its common name from a thin, white line that runs along the upper lip, bordered above by a narrow black line. D. coronoides is viviparous.
Boulenger GA (1896). Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume III., Containing the Colubridæ (Opisthoglyphæ and Proteroglyphæ)... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiv + 727 pp. + Plates I-XXV. (Denisonia coronoides, new combination... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wilsons Promontory National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Kosciuszko National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Freycinet National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Grampians National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Melbourne | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a White-lipped Snake sighting in Kosciuszko National Park on a given day, based on 37 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 4th most-seen of the 20 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a White-lipped Snake in Kosciuszko National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June to September, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most White-lipped Snake sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 6 parks where we can rate White-lipped Snake sightings, Kosciuszko National Park ranks 3rd at about 40%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Wilsons Promontory National Park (Australia, about 40%) and Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park (Australia, about 40%).
Same family: Elapidae
The closest relatives of the White-lipped Snake that you can see in Kosciuszko National Park (family Elapidae, Elapid Snakes) are Highlands Copperhead (about 60%), 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 White-lipped Snake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Kosciuszko National Park (37 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.
