clutches always have a selection of yellowish to orange-
coloured neonates. If raised indoors without natural
levels of ultraviolet (UV) light, these snakes become
progressively paler and more yellowish, and the darker
markings with higher melanin levels fade and become
more indistinct over time. While some of these snakes
can look spectacular I would not class them as natural,
and they represent a potentially-unpleasant trap for
inexperienced keepers. If these snakes are moved into
outdoor enclosures (common practice amongst
Tasmanian keepers) they can get horribly sunburnt in a
single day in mid-summer.
This may seem very odd to some that a snake could get
sunburnt, but if a captive-raised snake whose skin and
scales have never been exposed to UV light is suddenly
exposed to high levels, the results can be catastrophic.
Sunburnt pale snakes can turn melanotic within a very
short time as the skin tries to adapt to UV. I have seen
this phenomenon on many occasions and always urge
keepers to exercise extreme caution when introducing
indoor-raised snakes to outdoor enclosures. I always do
this in August when day lengths are still relatively short,
mid-day temperatures comparatively low and solar angle
is low in the sky. This gives the snakes’ skin a chance to
adjust gradually and burns are avoided. In this way,
snakes that were always going to be pale will remain so
and those that would naturally have darkened up do so in
a natural manner. Sunburnt snakes typically display a
rather ugly and unnatural-looking solid dark grey to
black streak which runs the entire length of the body,
particularly along the spine which is exposed to the most
direct sunlight. If you are offered a golden tiger, it is a
good idea to learn as much as you can about its parentage
and captive history to determine if you have the genuine
article or simply ‘fool’s gold’!
Further Reading
For more pictures of colour and other variations in
Tasmanian tiger snakes see:
Fearn, S. 1993. The tiger snake Notechis scutatus
(Serpentes: Elapidae) in Tasmania. Herpetofauna 1988: 3
-4.
Fearn, S. 2011. A rich and varied canvas: Scale
variations and scarring on Tasmanian tiger snakes
Notechis scutatus (Serpentes: Elapidae). The Tasmanian
Naturalist 136: 2-18.
Fearn, S. 2014. Snakes of Tasmania. Queen Victoria
Museum and Art Gallery. Launceston.
Below: the pale snake was born to a wild-caught female
from Bruny Island, southern Tasmania. I had to be very
careful when introducing this specimen to natural sunlight
outside to avoid sunburn. Photo by S. Fearn.