The main difference is that the De Vis' banded snake's tail does not taper abruptly, and its head is not broad and triangular.

[citation needed] The De Vis' banded snake was thought to be confined to alluvial flats in Queensland and New South Wales.

[5] However, when mammal expert Peter Menkhorst reported a death adder in north-west Victoria, an expedition was carried out in November 2005 to survey the Wallpolla Islands.

[6] Further confirmation of the species' new habitat came with a report on the results of raising water levels for environmental purposes at several sites along the Murray River at the Victoria - New South Wales border, making special note of the snake.

[7] The snake was found in Wallpolla Island Park, a 9,800-hectare (24,000-acre) area consisting of floodplain vegetation in the extreme North West, on the Victoria-New South Wales border.

[11] The mud adder gives birth to a fully formed young with an average total length (including tail) of 11 cm (4.3 in).