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.
Snakes live all over South Australia and are common in the suburbs and at the beach, so don't think you'll never see one. Brown snakes - of a few different species -are found across much of South Australia, but each region also has its local specialty – and most are venomous.
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.
South Australia
Most of the venomous tend to be in this area. This is because it receives large amounts of sun but at the same time allows for enough cover for protection.
Snakes Around the House. There are a number of common venomous snakes found in South Australia, many of which often find their way into residential areas. These snakes pose a danger to residents and can cause anxiety for anyone who suffers from ophidiophobia or herpetophobia, the fear of snakes or reptiles.
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 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.
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.
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.
The majority of snakebites occur on the hands, feet and ankles. Rattlesnakes usually avoid humans, but about 8,000 people are bitten by venomous snakes in the United States each year, with 10 to 15 deaths, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
It's rare for Australian snakes to strike. It's even more uncommon for the fangs to penetrate clothing and the skin.
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.
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.
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.
Primates, including humans, are able to quickly detect snakes. Some studies have found that humans can detect snake images before subjective visual perception. However, the pre-conscious detection of snake stimuli is still under debate by the scientific community.
Australian Box Jellyfish
The box jellyfish is the world's most venomous animal with four species — Chironex fleckeri, Carukia barnesi, Malo kingi, and Chironex yamaguchii — considered highly venomous. The Chironex fleckeri, also known as the Australian box jellyfish is considered the most venomous animal in the world.
Snakes are at their most active when it's cool out. They move around most in the early morning and around dusk. Snakes hunt in tall grass, weeds, and other sources of vegetation. Around your home, they'll seek out shady or dark places where they can rest and cool down.
Predators. The species' known predators include birds of prey and feral cats.
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 cannot jump, but instead lunge forward from a coiled position at an accelerated speed. As a snake launches itself, it may appear as though the snake is jumping.
Do Dogs Keep Snakes Away? Yes, big dogs especially can be a deterrent to snakes. They bark loudly and are much larger than snakes, so they will typically choose to stay away.
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."
Compared to other countries with many snake species, Australia has orders of magnitude fewer snakebites and related deaths. South Africa has 476 snakebite deaths on average every year. By contrast, Australia has two or three.
Australia's snake season generally hits between September and April as they start to venture out looking for food or a mate, but this can be brought forward if the end of winter and start of spring are unseasonably warm.