Pygmy mulga snake facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pygmy mulga snake |
|
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Pseudechis
|
| Species: |
weigeli
|
| Synonyms | |
|
|
The pygmy mulga snake (Pseudechis weigeli), also known as the pygmy king brown snake, is a type of venomous snake. It belongs to a group of snakes called the black snake genus Pseudechis, which is part of the family Elapidae. This snake is found only in Australia.
Contents
Where the Pygmy Mulga Snake Lives
The pygmy mulga snake is found only in a special area of Australia called the Kimberley ranges. When an animal or plant is found only in one specific place, it is called endemic to that area.
Its Favorite Places to Live
This snake likes to live in certain natural habitats. It prefers forest areas and open savannas. Savannas are like grasslands with scattered trees.
How Pygmy Mulga Snakes Have Babies
The pygmy mulga snake has a unique way of having babies. It is ovoviviparous. This means the mother snake keeps the eggs inside her body until they hatch. The babies then come out alive, instead of the mother laying eggs that hatch later outside her body.
Understanding the Pygmy Mulga Snake Family
Scientists officially confirmed the pygmy mulga snake as its own unique species in 2017. It is part of the Pseudechis group of snakes. Its closest relatives are the eastern dwarf mulga snake (P. pailsei) and another snake from the Northern Territory that hasn't been fully described yet.
How This Snake Got Its Name
The second part of the snake's scientific name, weigeli, was chosen to honor an Australian scientist. This scientist, John Randall Weigel, was born in 1955 and studies reptiles.
