observed some light brown
specimens with darker cross banding
reduced to splotches, speckles and
even longitudinal stripes either side
of the back bone, very reminiscent of
some mainland Carpet Pythons. In
fact, in the early days of settlement
in Tasmania, usage of the term
‘Tiger Snake’ was confined to
obviously-banded specimens, with
paler animals being universally
referred to as ‘Carpet Snakes’.
There would appear to be complex
and poorly-understood interactions
between localised temperature
regimes, vegetation structure and
substrate, as well as predator
assemblages that combine to produce
the almost endless variation that can
be observed in Tasmania. In warmer
habitats, paler colours may not only
aid in effective camouflage on sandy
substrates strewn with fallen leaves,
but they may also allow snakes to
forage in the open for longer than
melanotic specimens without over-
heating in the summer sun. The
predominance of melanism among
the many island populations
exhibiting warmer, frost-free
climates is possibly a result of
intense selection for animals that can
bask very efficiently, even on over-
cast days, during a very short and
saturating annual feeding period
based on the synchronised hatching
and growth of seabird chicks.
Ventral colouration is less variable
and is mostly white, cream or
yellow, fading to greyish towards the
vent. Ventral colour infrequently
extends under the head on specimens
from the Tasmanian mainland but