On a sandstone ridge near Nowra, New South Wales, six young broad headed snakes went home this May, each under a rock made just for it, and at least four are now doing well. It is a world first for Hoplocephalus bungaroides, a black snake with mosaic yellow bands and a flattened head that lives only on the sandstone escarpments of the Sydney basin and nearby ranges. All six were born at Aussie Ark's Conservation Ark in Somersby to parents first gathered from these same ridges, and they were released On Country with the Traditional Owners of the Shoalhaven. Their shelters, designed by Dr Benjamin Croak, who completed his PhD at the University of Technology Sydney, have crevices just the right size and hold warmth like real sandstone. "I love it, it's not a job for me, it's a passion of mine," says Indigenous Ranger Ashley Thomas. "Healing Country."

Read the full story: World first successful wild release of endangered broad headed snake, UTS Newsroom.

A wild broad headed snake moving through eucalyptus bark and leaf litter
A wild broad headed snake in eucalypt leaf litter, New South Wales. Photograph: Andrew Harvey, via iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0.

Broad headed snakes keep a gentle calendar. They come out at night to feed on geckos and small skinks, rest by day under flat rocks along the cliff edges, and in summer move into hollows in big trees near the escarpment. Each one wears its own pattern on its head, so every snake can be told apart. Professor Jonathan Webb, a UTS wildlife ecologist who has followed these snakes for 34 years, surveys the site with the team every fortnight, and on one visit Aussie Ark ranger Dylan Wallis held one of the smallest, its belly round from a recent meal. "It's exciting to go out there and see how the snakes are doing," says Professor Webb. "I feel like a kid again." More young snakes and more restored habitat are planned, and for Traditional Owner Uncle Frank Connolly Jr, it is all about who comes next: "It's great for our young people growing up to learn all of this, to keep it going for the next generation coming through."

An Earth to Sea News story, built mainly on the University of Technology Sydney release of 6 November 2026, with background from Aussie Ark and the NSW Government. Photographs: as credited in captions.