Acanthophis wellsi
Silhouette: SeismicShrimp · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
The Pilbara death adder (Acanthophis wellsi), also known commonly as Wells' death adder, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is one of the eight members of the genus Acanthophis, a genus which is found throughout northwestern and southwestern Australia and some parts of southern Papua New Guinea. The species Acanthophis wellsi is endemic to Western Australia.
The Pilbara death adder was described by Raymond Hoser in 1998. The specific name, wellsi, is in honor of Australian herpetologist Richard Walter Wells. Dorsally, A. wellsi is usually brick red, with narrow, close-spaced gray crossbands. Individuals called "melanistic" have a black head, and the crossbands, which are wider, are yellowish brown, edged with black.
Acanthophis wellsi is found in the Hamersley Range and the Chichester Range in the Pilbara region in northern Western Australia. The preferred natural habitats of A. wellsi are grassland, shrubland, and rocky areas. Acanthophis wellsi is ovoviviparous.
Cogger HG (2014). Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cape Range | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Ningaloo Marine Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Pilbara Death Adder sighting in Ningaloo Marine Park on a given day, based on 21 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 7th most-seen of the 29 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January and October
In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Pilbara Death Adder in Ningaloo Marine Park on a given day, against under 5% in July and August, the lowest months. Those are among Ningaloo Marine Park's driest months, with almost no rain against 50 mm in June.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Pilbara Death Adder sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Pilbara Death Adder sightings, Ningaloo Marine Park ranks 2nd at about 30%. The best odds are in Cape Range (Australia, about 40%).
Same family: Elapidae
The closest relatives of the Pilbara Death Adder that you can see in Ningaloo Marine Park (family Elapidae, Elapid Snakes) are Olive Sea Snake (about 30%), Mulga Snake (about 30%) and Stokes's Seasnake (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Pilbara Death Adder is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Ningaloo Marine Park (21 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.
