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	Desert Death Adder - Acanthophis pyrrhus The Desert Death Adder is a beautiful form of Death Adder, with strongly keeled scales usually in 21 rows at mid body, and lovely red, orange and yellow colours. Like the Common Death Adder, the pale bands are sometimes edged in black. Although they are still heavy-bodied snakes, Desert Death Adders are fairly slender by Death Adder standards. They have a high number of bands compared to typical individuals of other Death Adder species.
	As their name suggests, Desert Death Adders come from arid and semi-arid climates. They are widespread through the deserts of central and Western Australia. They are often associated with Spinifex, on sandy dunes, rocky outcrops and sometimes wooded areas, gibber deserts and coastal dunes in WA. Like other Death Adders, these snakes spend much of their time mostly buried in sand. Death Adders are cryptic, ambush predators which attract prey to themselves rather than hunting it down. At the end of the tail is a modified section, flattened out somewhat like a flag. This flattened section is a different colour from the body, usually black but sometimes white or yellow, with or without black markings.
While the majority of the Death Adder is buried in sand, the tail is wriggled and writhed, mimicking an insect or worm which attracts unsuspecting animals such as lizards, birds and frogs to within range before striking with extreme speed and delivering powerful venom, which is primarily neurotoxic. Desert Death Adders give birth to live young in Autumn, with litters of up to 20 recorded. Desert Death Adders are less common in captivity than Common or Northern Death Adders, but they make brilliant captive specimens which are very interesting and easy to care for. Although easily handled and cared for, great care must be taken with captive specimens as they are among the deadliest of the world's snakes. See also Southern Death Adder http://www.pilbarapythons.com/stndeathadder.htm
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