What snake is that? Common Australian snake species are frequently misidentified or unidentified
Human-wildlife conflicts are influenced by the public’s ability to identify dangerous species. We determined the snakes most commonly involved in conflicts by comparing types of “problem snakes” by location (urban/non-urban) for 9,627 calls to a Western Australian helpline. Of the 21% of cases ident...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
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TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD
2020
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/87416 |
| _version_ | 1848764914552799232 |
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| author | Wolfe, Ashleigh Fleming, P.A. Bateman, Bill |
| author_facet | Wolfe, Ashleigh Fleming, P.A. Bateman, Bill |
| author_sort | Wolfe, Ashleigh |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Human-wildlife conflicts are influenced by the public’s ability to identify dangerous species. We determined the snakes most commonly involved in conflicts by comparing types of “problem snakes” by location (urban/non-urban) for 9,627 calls to a Western Australian helpline. Of the 21% of cases identifying problem snakes, most urban sightings (82%) were for venomous brown snakes (Pseudonaja spp.) and tiger snakes (Notechis scutatus). We then tested the ability of Western Australians to discern dangerous species by displaying five common reptiles (brown snake/dugite, tiger snake, python, and two skinks) at four community events and asked attendees “what is it called,” “is it a snake,” and “is it venomous?” Respondents discerned snakes and lizards, but not species or venomous versus non-venomous. Adults correctly identified dugites more often than did children (82% and 48%, respectively). We recommend education (e.g., brochures, school programs) to help people identify and assess the danger of interacting with reptiles. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:26:56Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-87416 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:26:56Z |
| publishDate | 2020 |
| publisher | TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-874162022-01-28T05:45:37Z What snake is that? Common Australian snake species are frequently misidentified or unidentified Wolfe, Ashleigh Fleming, P.A. Bateman, Bill Science & Technology Life Sciences & Biomedicine Biodiversity Conservation Environmental Sciences Biodiversity & Conservation Environmental Sciences & Ecology Venomous snake identification public perception human-wildlife conflict reptile BITE Human-wildlife conflicts are influenced by the public’s ability to identify dangerous species. We determined the snakes most commonly involved in conflicts by comparing types of “problem snakes” by location (urban/non-urban) for 9,627 calls to a Western Australian helpline. Of the 21% of cases identifying problem snakes, most urban sightings (82%) were for venomous brown snakes (Pseudonaja spp.) and tiger snakes (Notechis scutatus). We then tested the ability of Western Australians to discern dangerous species by displaying five common reptiles (brown snake/dugite, tiger snake, python, and two skinks) at four community events and asked attendees “what is it called,” “is it a snake,” and “is it venomous?” Respondents discerned snakes and lizards, but not species or venomous versus non-venomous. Adults correctly identified dugites more often than did children (82% and 48%, respectively). We recommend education (e.g., brochures, school programs) to help people identify and assess the danger of interacting with reptiles. 2020 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/87416 10.1080/10871209.2020.1769778 English TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD restricted |
| spellingShingle | Science & Technology Life Sciences & Biomedicine Biodiversity Conservation Environmental Sciences Biodiversity & Conservation Environmental Sciences & Ecology Venomous snake identification public perception human-wildlife conflict reptile BITE Wolfe, Ashleigh Fleming, P.A. Bateman, Bill What snake is that? Common Australian snake species are frequently misidentified or unidentified |
| title | What snake is that? Common Australian snake species are frequently misidentified or unidentified |
| title_full | What snake is that? Common Australian snake species are frequently misidentified or unidentified |
| title_fullStr | What snake is that? Common Australian snake species are frequently misidentified or unidentified |
| title_full_unstemmed | What snake is that? Common Australian snake species are frequently misidentified or unidentified |
| title_short | What snake is that? Common Australian snake species are frequently misidentified or unidentified |
| title_sort | what snake is that? common australian snake species are frequently misidentified or unidentified |
| topic | Science & Technology Life Sciences & Biomedicine Biodiversity Conservation Environmental Sciences Biodiversity & Conservation Environmental Sciences & Ecology Venomous snake identification public perception human-wildlife conflict reptile BITE |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/87416 |