Snakes can be found all over Australia, not only in the Outback. However, you will hardly see them. On all my trips I only saw a few snakes and I nearly stepped on one when I was walking along the Eyre Highway, see the picture above (at least I thought it was a snake at that time). But this won't happen every day.
Australia has around 140 species of land snake, and 32 recorded species of sea snakes. Some 100 Australian snakes are venomous, although only 12 are likely to inflict a wound that could kill you.
"Including the brown, tiger, black, taipan, death adder and certain sea snakes and all these snakes are found in Queensland," Mr Farry said.
Snake plague is a major concern in Australia. As it's the country to most snake species, residents often encounter these unexpected coiling guests in the bathroom, in the ceiling, under the bed, and even right in front of their doorstep.
In Australia, snakes sometimes slither into suburban backyards and homes. When the weather gets warm, they lounge in the sun.
Due to the country's large landmass, many climates are experienced including equatorial, tropical, subtropical, desert, monsoonal, temperate, and alpine. These differing climates influence Australia's snake distribution and abundance, and provide many different and unique habitats for them.
Snakes often get a bad reputation. While they will probably never be cuddly to most people, including me, there's one thing for sure. They are extremely important to the Australian ecosystem. Without them, many animals, especially rodents, can breed out of control.
It's rare for Australian snakes to strike. It's even more uncommon for the fangs to penetrate clothing and the skin.
Snakes are able to recognise and distinguish between humans and may recognise the scent of their owner as familiar or positive with time. However, snakes are unable to view humans as companions so cannot form a bond with their owner like other pets can.
Do snakes come out of toilets in Australia? Yes, but it's not common. Sometimes snakes will swim up through the pipes or enter a bathroom through an open window or door and coil up in a toilet bowl in search of a place to cool down during the hot, dry summers. However, this doesn't really happen in urban areas.
Snakes are protected by law in all states and territories of Australia and may not be killed unless they threaten life. Offences under the Nature Conservation Act 2014 carry severe penalties. Snakes cannot be taken from the wild, kept without a licence, or traded without a licence.
Snakes can bite you underwater, but usually only if they're provoked or if they feel threatened. In the Tropical Journal of Medicine and Hygiene, researchers studied 100 sea-snake bite patients who visited a local hospital. They found that over 80% of patients were fishermen who had been in the water.
If you find a dry, scaly sheet of the skin or a crumpled heap somewhere close to an entrance into the walls of your home or small space areas. If you are inspecting a dusty area or crawl space, you might notice slither tracks that indicate where a snake has traveled. Snakes have a distinctive smell that is noticeable.
Some snakes such as eastern brown snakes are active during the day, others prefer to hunt in the evening, while some species are more active at night during the hotter months. Many snakes have excellent eyesight, but it's not usually the main sense they rely on when hunting.
Snake season in Australia - September to April. When the weather warms up and spring arrives, we begin to see snakes emerge from their brumate period. Brumation, which is a form of dormancy in reptiles, it is similar to hibernation.
Estimated to have enough venom in each bite to kill more than 100 men, the Inland Taipan is considered the most venomous snake in the world. However, this serpent is characteristically reclusive, placid and unlikely to attack. It inhabits remote, semi-arid regions in Queensland and South Australia.
Killing snakes
It is an offence under the National Parks and Wildlfe Act to kill or remove a snake from its environment, with fines of up to $10,000 and two years imprisonment enforceable. "The only exception is if a venomous snake is posing a genuine threat to life and safety."
It is important to note that a number of venomous snakes are found in and around Brisbane, including the coastal taipan, tiger snake, death adder, rough-scaled snake and eastern brown snake. Of these snakes only the eastern brown snake is regularly found in Brisbane's suburbs.
There are around 3,000 snakebites in Australia each year, with recent figures showing around 550 hospitalisations and an average of two deaths per annum. While 57% of snakebites happen in regional and rural areas – not in cities – the majority happen near homes or buildings.
We have noted at Walkabout Park that most kangaroos bitten by snakes are hand-raised kangaroos. We have seen a disproportionately larger number of hand-raised kangaroos bitten, relative to wild raised kangaroos.
Ilha da Queimada Grande in Brazil has been called one of the world's deadliest islands because it has the highest concentration of venomous snakes anywhere in the world.
There are a variety of snakes found living among us. Some are venomous and others are virtually harmless to humans. Living within Sydney it is very common that you may come in contact with a snake while walking or doing general day to day activities.
One number one choice for the best snake pet is the corn snake. Of the bunch, corn snakes are considered the most docile and gentle. They are also known for being easy to handle and easy to feed. They are nocturnal and love to burrow.