Aussie Ark achieves world-first breeding of endangered Broad-headed Snake

Wildlife conservation organisation, Aussie Ark, has marked a significant milestone in the fight to save the rare and elusive Broad-headed Snake from extinction by, in a world-first, successfully breeding the endangered snake species.

This achievement has resulted in the birth of four healthy baby snakes.

The venomous Broad-headed Snake, found exclusively in the Sydney Sandstone Basin and its surrounding areas, is on the brink of extinction due to rampant habitat destruction and illegal poaching. 

It took Aussie Ark five expeditions and over 800 hours of searching to secure 17 adults of the right age and size to begin the world’s first wild-sourced captive breeding and rewilding program of this iconic reptile last year. Their new home at Conservation Ark, located within the Australian Reptile Park, provided the perfect environment for this critical breeding program. Last spring, the pair were successfully matched for mating, and now, their remarkable union has resulted in the birth of these precious hatchlings - a triumph for conservation.

Aussie Ark Managing Director Tim Faulkner said it was the most “exciting moment ever” when the team observed one female was gravid (pregnant) adding “we could actually see a bulge in her belly. Then it happened…the mother snake gave birth to four exquisite young.” 

Week one was critical as the Aussie Ark team monitored the precious juveniles and waited for them to shed their skin for the first time. Faulkner said they needed all four snakes to do this before the team was assured they were healthy and strong. 

Faulkner shared “we’ve conducted our first health check of the baby snakes and they’re all in great shape. The snakes weigh five grams. Think about how small that is…a mouse weighs 15 grams. They are so vulnerable.” 

As would occur in the wild, the juveniles are separated from Mum and in their own enclosures. They will join Aussie Ark’s holistic breeding and rewilding program, which includes securing their natural habitat and releasing snakes back into the wild in the future. 

If you’d like to help Aussie Ark save the Broad-headed Snake from extinction, please donate at aussieark.org.au 

Images. Credit: Aussie Ark