ABSTRACT Human-wildlife conflicts are influenced by the public’s ability to identify dangerous species. We determined the snakes most commonly involved in conflicts by comparing types of “problem snakes” by location (urban/non-urban) for 9,627 calls to a Western Australian helpline. Of the 21% of cases identifying problem snakes, most urban sightings (82%) were for venomous brown snakes (Pseudonaja spp.) and tiger snakes (Notechis scutatus). We then tested the ability of Western Australians to discern dangerous species by displaying five common reptiles (brown snake/dugite, tiger snake, python, and two skinks) at four community events and asked attendees “what is it called,” “is it a snake,” and “is it venomous?” Respondents discerned snakes and lizards, but not species or venomous versus non-venomous. Adults correctly identified dugites more often than did children (82% and 48%, respectively). We recommend education (e.g., brochures, school programs) to help people identify and assess the danger of interacting with reptiles.

中文翻译：

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那是什么蛇？常见的澳大利亚蛇种经常被误认或身份不明

摘要 人类与野生动物的冲突受到公众识别危险物种能力的影响。我们通过比较不同位置（城市/非城市）的“问题蛇”类型来确定最常卷入冲突的蛇，并为 9,627 个西澳大利亚求助热线拨打了电话。在确定问题蛇的 21% 的案例中，大多数城市目击事件 (82%) 是毒棕蛇 (Pseudonaja spp.) 和虎蛇 (Notechis scutatus)。然后，我们通过在四次社区活动中展示五种常见爬行动物（棕蛇/杜吉特、虎蛇、蟒蛇和两条石龙子）来测试西澳大利亚人辨别危险物种的能力，并询问与会者“它叫什么”、“它是蛇”和“它有毒吗？” 受访者能分辨出蛇和蜥蜴，但不能分辨物种或有毒与无毒。成人比儿童更常正确识别数字（分别为 82% 和 48%）。我们建议通过教育（例如宣传册、学校计划）来帮助人们识别和评估与爬行动物互动的危险。