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Common Snakes of the Fraser Coast

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Common Snakes of the Fraser Coast Chris Muller pictured above Common Snakes of the Fraser Coast By Jenny Watts At the end of an informative and entertaining talk by Chris Muller in front of 35 people I was left feeling how lucky we are to have a such an knowledgeable and reptile passionate person living in our area. We want Chris to come and talk to us more! Chris is currently working in a team contracted by our local council to revegetate natural areas. But he came to talk to us about his passion - snakes – and the association he has that goes back a long way. Chris’s dad was a scientist and Chris grew up around snakes. He was a member of a National Parks and Wildlife crew catching snakes even before he left school! Interspersed with information about the most commonly found snakes in our backyards (he included a legless lizard as well as pythons, tree snakes, freshwater keelbacks and a number of Elapids – venomous snakes) Chris told us hairy stories of snake catching. The most jaw dropping was handling a death adder while driving a tourist bus (“I didn’t realise they were so strong”) and extracting a big brown from under the bonnet of a car (“lucky it was contained by the radiator grill as it was directly under me”). So here are some of those snakes and some information: Burtons Legless Lizard This is a very common reptile found in our backyards where it is an aggressive feeder of small skinks. It is often mistaken for a snake but is a lizard – having ear holes, a broad flat tongue and small vestigial legs. It is variable in colour but has a very distinctive angular nose. Carpet Python Again this is a very common visitor in the backyard where it is attracted to houses to feed on food scraps, rats, mice, birds and so on and where it can find suitable shelter like rafters. It has huge flexible jaws and can eat huge things. A meal of one possum may sustain the snake for several months. They have powerful sense of smell and may latch on to an animal pathway and just wait in ambush pose for a long time – until….. Chris said he has seen pythons up to 9 foot long and “as thick as your leg”- very powerful animals. There are several subspecies and a huge variation in patterning and colour although they are all born light brown. Chris said he was regularly called to people’s homes to remove a python from the ceiling cavity. Once up there he has been known to say “which one do you want me to remove?” He advocates leaving them there. Spotted (Children’s) Python Like the Carpet Python it has heat sensory pits and feeds on lizards, birds and small mammals. Again there are many subspecies. Chris made the point here that new subspecies were being identified all the time and he was early awaiting the publication of Harold. G. Cogger’s updated field guide. Green tree Snake This snake has huge eyes, a long slender body and is diurnal. They are very active and around during the day which means we see them often. They will often ‘rear’ up but this is to get a better view rather than a threat. They are amazing climbers, scaling brick walls – but get them on a polished floor and they slip and slide uncontrollably. They have a blue colour between the scales and when annoyed the scales retract and this colour shows giving them a stripped appearance. Their bodies are light underneath and dark on the top. Look up into a tree and the light coloured belly is hard to see, look down into a tree and the dark upper body is a great camouflage. Brown Tree Snake This nocturnal snake is a completely different species to the Green Tree Snake. It is also not so common. It is characterised by a large bulky head and large “cat’s eyes” with a slit pupil giving it good night vision. It is mildly venomous. Freshwater Keelback Again this is very common. It is hard to distinguish from the Rough Scaled Snake but because their habitats are so different this helps in identification. Their name is derived from the ridge (keel) on the scales. This non venomous snake can eat small cane toads – one of a few native animals to handle the toads toxic skin secretions. Eastern Brown (or Common Brown Snake) This is the second most venomous snake in the world (behind the Inland Taipan)*. It is very fast and very common. It preys on small rodents and lizards and will be attracted to houses for food and water. It has barely any distinction between its head and neck and there are many brown variations. It has very small fangs at the front of the jaw which are unlikely to penetrate clothing (so wear long pants, socks, boots in the garden and bush). The venom is primarily neurotoxic hence paralysing the body’s vital organs. So what can eat snakes and be immune to the venom? In Australia it is mainly birds of prey – kites, eagles and so on and large monitor lizards. * This is of the terrestrial snakes. Belcher’s Sea Snake is actually the most venomous snake known in the world, a few milligrams is strong enough to kill 1000 people! Less than 1/4 of bites will contain venom, and they are relatively docile. Fishermen are usually the victims of these bites, as they encounter the species when they pull nets from the ocean. Found throughout waters off South East Asia and Northern Australia. Source; http://listverse.com/2011/03/30/top-10-most-venomous-snakes/ Coastal Taipan Rare here Death Adder This highly venomous snake is not very common here as it favours undisturbed areas. It is short, stocky and powerful and amazingly camouflaged. Chris noted that on Fraser Island the snake is quite light in colour blending in with the island’s white sand, when it is usually darker on the mainland. Red Bellied Black Snakes Its main claim to fame is that it will eat Brown Snakes! They are common around waterways. Eastern Small Eyed Snake This snake is often mistaken for a young Red Bellied Black Snake. Their underbelly is pink not red. The venom is dangerous. Yellow Faced Whip Snake Common in gardens and feed on skinks. They are easily recognised by a yellow comma behind the eye. Marsh Snakes They have a white line behind the eye and are very pretty looking snakes. Crowned (Golden, Dwarf, White) Snakes These three species are nocturnal so they are not seen much. First Aid for Snake Bit Don’t panic Call ambulance Don’t move Apply some non absorbent material (plastic, wrapper) to the bite site. This will preserve venom to know which antivenin is needed) Bandage up / down whole limb Immobilize Tips to avoid being bitten Chris reminded us that venom helps the snake digestion / immobilizes prey - it is not designed for us 95% of people who are bitten are trying to catch or kill a snake Leave them alone and they will leave you alone Wearing suitable clothing when in garden / bush .
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