A death adder moves its tail from side-to-side to attract prey.

Trick or Treat

Death adders are sneaky snakes. Like crocodiles, they use tricks to scare up their food.

A death adder’s coloring makes it hard to see. The snake is mostly brown. When it lies on brown ground, it blends right in. Death adders just love hanging out under leaves and grass—which makes them even harder to see.

But there’s one thing a death adder leaves in plain view: its tail. Why does it do this? That’s simple. The tip of its tail looks like a worm. When a small animal approaches for a snack—wham! The adder strikes. It’s trick-or-treat, animal style.