It’s easy to confuse an Eastern Tiger Snake with the Spotted Harlequin Snake.

The Eastern Tiger Snake is golden-orange in colour with 22 – 52 dark blotches down the length of the snake. They have a long thin tail. The head is distinct from the body, with bulging orange eyes with vertical pupils. The belly is pearl white in colour.

The easily confused standard form of the Spotted Harlequin Snake is usually black in colour with yellow transverse bands with yellow orange or red infusion. They have small black eyes and yellow markings on the upper lip. The scales on the sides of the snake have black between them, giving them a fish net appearance. The belly is usually yellowish with black blotches.

The graphic below illustrates how to recognize the key differences between the two species.