Can you spot the danger? The incredibly dangerous predator found lurking in a Queensland family’s backyard
- Danger hidden in common backyard feature
- Most people couldn’t guess where it was
- READ MORE: Horrifying moment massive snake gives possum a ‘kiss of death’ while hanging from a roof at the Gold Coast
A photo of a common danger, hiding in an everyday backyard feature, has been shared to Aussies warning them not all hazards are obvious.
A highly venomous eastern brown snake was caught lurking in a stone wall at a property in Greenbank, Queensland last week.
Snake catcher Brandon Wilkinson took a photo revealing just how difficult it was to spot the incredibly dangerous reptile.
The snake was hiding in between rocks of a retaining wall which borders the garden of the property.
Can you see the snake? Snake wrangler Brandon Wilkinson was called after a homeowner’s dog alerted them to a snake in their backyard
The venomous Eastern Brown could only be seen up close, hidden in the rock wall
The pet dog of the homeowners had noticed the venomous reptile and called Wilkinson at Snake Catchers Brisbane and Gold Coast.
He told the Daily Mail the snake was protecting itself from the dog.
‘The home owners dogs noticed the snake firstly, that’s why the snake took off into the wall in the first place, for shelter from a perceived predator.’
Wilkinson said the snake was full of eggs, which is called a gravid female and believes it prevented her from being able to fully hide.
‘Being gravid does hinder a snakes ability to seek refuge in certain places. I think it prevented her squeezing into the rock wall as tightly as she would’ve liked.
But had the homeowners not seen her go in there, they probably would’ve been oblivious to her presence.’
He shared the picture of the hidden snake on Tuesday to his workplace’s Facebook page, asking his followers to ‘spot the snake’.
Most could not locate the snake with one social media user commenting: ‘Carpet python on the grass in front of the rock,’
Not long after, he posted the answer with many people in shock at how well the snake was hidden.
One person wrote: ‘I always have a better chance at finding Wally. I truly appreciate these ‘spot the’, it raises awareness.’
‘Great hiding place.’ another said.
The pregnant Eastern Brown couldn’t fully hide due to it being full of eggs
Most social media users could not find where the snake was hiding, with one guessing it was on the grass
The snake catcher said snakes hiding in their backyard are part of the snake protecting itself, and people should be aware but not concerned.
‘Snakes will seek to take shelter from any potential threats when they’re on the move. If a snake has an escape route they will take it 99 times out of 100.
‘It’s when people get too close to the snake, and put the animal in a position where they feel cornered or feel they can’t escape that they will actively defend themselves,’ Wilkinson said.
He said snakes aren’t territorial and therefore don’t defend an area.
‘However they do have a home range, the snake will spend the majority of their life within this radius, removing them from their home range is detrimental to the snake,’ Wilkinson said.
Brandon Wilkinson (pictured) handling another snake. The wrangler urges people to stay away from snakes and call a professional if they see one of the reptiles
Wilkinson said eastern brown snakes, whilst very common on the east coast, only amount for 3.5 per cent of snakes the company catches on call outs.
‘I think it’s also worth noting that 90 per cent of snake bites in Australia are from people trying to catch or kill the snake,’ he said.
The snake wrangler offered people advice if they were to come across a snake.
‘Give the animal space, stand well away from them and keep an eye on them the best they can. If they don’t notice the snake and get in close proximity to the animal, stand still until the snake moves off to a safe distance, then just back away,’ Wilkinson said.
‘Call a licensed snake catcher as soon as possible.’
READ MORE: Aussie bloke puts down his beer, plucks a snake off the middle of the road and guides it into the bush
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