[6] Its smooth scales vary in color from pale to dark grey, brown and reddish, darker along the head and back, this lightens along the sides, with white to cream belly.

[6] It inhabits heath, scrubland and open forest in the west and favors mallee and Triodia grassland country in the eastern population.

[6] This species shows one of the largest litter volumes, a single specimen at 41 cm SVL had 13 full size embryos extending 34 cms internally, to 7cms from the snout.

There is some suggestion of similarities to the common death adder (Acanthophis antarcticus), due to a snake venom detection kit false positive on a dog, outside the geographical range of that species.

[9] Bites on humans are rare, with one case requiring hospitalization due to complications which were abated with the administration of common death adder antivenom[10] Venom has been shown to include neurotoxins and is highly neurotoxic to avian tissues, comparable to tiger snake, copperhead and inland taipan.