ZooNooz Article - december 2005

Hello, is that the reptile section?

The Phone Calls start in October and continue to early autumn, "Hello, is that the reptile section at Taronga Zoo? I have a snake in my backyard, can you come and remove it." If it were a large, colourful of possum, the caller would or even an unfamiliar species then it must be removed. PETER HARLOW reports on a yearly happening.

Photographs Peter Harlow and BC Brian Chant

The staff in Herpetofauna at Taronga are used to dealing with a wide assortment of reptile enquires, and our first question is usually, "Where are you calling from?" This avoids the embarrassment of explaining to the caller that you do not find five-metre pythons or alligator hatchlings in suburban backyards, but later having to admit that sometimes you do. (The first caller was from Cairns, the second from Louisiana!)

Red-bellied Black Snake

And we do not remove backyard snakes either; our message is that if you live in an area with wildlife, then you need to accept that snakes are part of that environment. Besides, experience has shown that most snakes will have long gone by the time we can get to the site. More important than removing the snake is to know which species are found in your area, be able to identify those which are dangerous, and know the first-aid treatment for snake bite.

Although there are at least 16 different snake species found in the Sydney region, the backyard offenders tend to be represented by a small number of the usual suspects. And they are in two broad categories. The first is the 'what- the-cat-brought-home' group, and contains mostly hatchling snakes, small snake species or ever legless lizards, all difficult to identify over the telephone. A common snake in this category is the Golden Crown Snake, a small snake of damp, leafy Sydney suburbs, often encountered in the gardens at Taronga. Usually no thicker than a pencil, this exclusively garden-skink-eating snake catches lizards at night while they are sleeping - but it is no match for a backyard moggie on the prowl. While technically venomous, its venom is only capable of killing its tiny prey. But when cornered it rears up, and like its distant cousin, the Eastern Brown Snake, puts on an impressive display of hissing and striking. The second category of phone inquiries involves larger snakes seen 'trespassing' in backyards. In Sydney, there are only a few species that these could be, however we can never give a 100 per cent identification based on a phone description. Experience has taught us that when confronted by a large snake, some people confuse inches with metres, green with black, legless as meaning having four large legs, and even 'fast moving'; with what we would describe more correctly as 'very dead'. A wrong identification of a potentially venomous snake could have disastrous consequences. With the advent of digital cameras however, a reasonable photo emailed to the Herpetofauna Division can usually be identified quickly.

Eastern Brown Snake

The equal contenders for number one place in the 'large-and-visible' group are the Diamond Python and the Red-bellied Black Snake, both common near watercourses in bushy outer-Sydney suburbs. Diamond Pythons are slow-moving sun-lovers but reach an impressive size - often over two metres long and as 'thick as your arm'! Being pythons, they are non-venomous constrictors that eat rats, possums, birds and the occasional small cat. Red-bellied Black Snakes are frog, lizard and mouse eaters, and will travel long distances from their preferred habitat in search of mates and food. They are venomous and have an unearned reputation for being aggressive. In our experience they always avoid confrontation, are shy and retreat rapidly when confronted.

Another common snake, especially in the semi-rural areas of western Sydney and the lower Blue Mountains, is the Eastern Brown Snake, a medium-sized, very fast-moving and potentially dangerous snake. It comes in a confusing range of colours from light brown to almost black, and juveniles are often banded. This snake is responsible for most fatal snakebites on dogs and cats, and occasionally humans, in eastern Australia. There are other dangerous snakes in the Sydney area too, such as the Tiger Snake and Death Adder, but these are rarely encountered in backyards.

So wherever you live, learn which venomous snakes have been seen (and correctly identified) in your area, know what they look like, and be aware of how to discourage them. You can do this by not providing ground cover for snakes in your backyard (clearing wood piles or building material stacked on the ground), and by making sure mice or rats are not encouraged by free food handouts (such as around bird aviaries and chicken yards). More importantly, know the pressure- immobilisation method of snakebite first aid, and then enjoy all the wildlife that you are lucky enough to share your backyard with.

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