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About Melbourne's Snakes
Eastern Tiger Snake
Eastern tiger snake
Eastern Tiger Snake (Notechis scutatus) is the most common snake found in Melbourne. It is ranked the 5th most venomous land snake in the world.
Its venom is extremely dangerous & contains POWERFUL
Neurotoxins, Blood coagulants, Haemolysins & Myotoxins .
Symptoms of a tiger snake bite include: Foot and neck localised pain, Tingling, Numbness, Sweating, Rapid onset of breathing difficulties, This leads to paralysis & Death.
Description
Tiger snakes can have variations of colour and banding from brown, black, grey, yellow with alternating shades of dark and light bands across the snake. Bandings however are not always visible.
Tiger snakes can have shorter and broader heads compared to brown snakes and are typically found at 1 – 1.5 metres long in Melbourne however I have caught tiger snakes easily over 2 metres long.
Juvenile snakes are very common in suburbia.
Behaviour
They are very active during the day however can be found hunting and night time. When threatened, the tiger snake will flatten its neck and raise its head similar to a cobra. This is a defensive posture but the tiger snake will bite if harmed, touched or you feel threatened.
When looking for a tiger snake, don’t always look at the ground. Tiger snakes habitually raid bird nests and can be found climbing tree branches at incredible heights. It is not uncommon for me to find a tiger snake on a house roof or hanging from a fence.
distribution & Food
Eastern Tiger snakes can eat frogs, lizards, mice, rats, small mammals and more.
They are found all over Melbourne and are regularly encountered in people's homes and back yards.
Tiger snakes can be found all times of the year as they're very adaptable to the cold and wet environments.
Because of their stripe patterns, they hide very well in shrubs and long grass.
Eastern Brown Snake
Eastern brown snake
The eastern brown snake or 'common brown' is the 2nd most venomous land snake in the world. Together with other brown snakes, they are responsible for more deaths every year in Australia than any other group of snakes.
This species of snake has extremely toxic venom that contains POWERFUL neurotoxins and blood anti coagulants. A bite can cause a person to suffer diarrhea, dizziness, renal failure, convulsions, paralysis and cardiac arrest. The bite mark however might not appear until around up to 30 minutes after striking.
Description
The fangs of an eastern brown are extremely short. Bites through clothes are not common however it can easily penetrate human skin and the bites sometimes cannot be felt.
These long, slender snakes are a tan brown colour with a lighter underside. Juveniles often have striping.
Eastern brown snakes typically grow up to 2 metres long and can be quite formidable to deal with.
Behaviour
These are very fast moving snakes will flee if disturbed. However if the East Brown is provoked, it will raise the front part of the body off the ground winding into an “S” shape. Its mouth will gape open and be ready to strike forward. If you see a snake in this position, back away quickly but safely and remove all persons from the area.
Do NOT in any circumstances try to handle one of these snakes. Only licensed snake catchers and snake handlers can properly deal with these snakes.
distribution & Food
Eastern Brown Snakes thrive in populated areas including farms, suburban towns with high human population or any areas with mice. Eastern brown snakes are mostly active during the day however young brown snakes can be found at night time.
Eastern brown snakes readily slither into people's homes as they can flatten out their body to slide under doors or windows.
Lowland Copperhead Snake
LOWLAND COPPERHEAD
Lowland Copperheads are among the lesser known of Melbourne's venomous snakes. There are different variations of Australian Copperhead snakes which are not related to American Copperheads. Their venom contains post synaptic neurotoxins which is potentially deadly for humans. At least one recorded human fatality from copperheads has occurred.
Description
Lowland Copperheads are highly variable in colour ranging from light grey, reddish, brown and black. Adults which are black coloured often have a prominent orange/red streak running along the side of the body which causes many to mistake them for red bellied black snakes. The copperhead is usually 1-1.5 metres long. Females tend to be up to 1 metre long and males generally grow up to 1.5 metres long.
Behaviour
Lowland Copperheads are typically docile and very shy with humans. Generally these snakes will retire and retreat if disturbed, however if threatened can assume menacing positions puffing up their body to appear bigger. When scared they often repeatedly change position with great speed ready to strike out. These are very fast snakes when they bite. However, they are not usually aggressive and bites are uncommon.
distribution & Food
These snakes are found near damp habitats such as streams or swampy areas. The lowland copperhead is found all over southern Victoria and has a preference for places near water including around ponds, dams, canals, drainage ditches and along the sides of roads. Copperheads have adapted to living in cold temperature climates. These snakes can be active in weather considered to be too cold for other snakes.
Red Bellied Black Snake
Red bellied
black snake
Red Bellied Black Snakes are a dangerous and venomous species. Their bites contain strong hemotoxic and cytotoxic venom which have anticoagulant and myotoxic effects.
Symptoms of a bite include:
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Nausea
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Vomiting
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Headache
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Abdominal Pain
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Diarrhoea
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Sweating
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Local/general muscle pain and weakness
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Red/brown urine.
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Death (in some cases)
Description
As the name suggests, red bellied black snakes have a glossy black back and a reddish/pinkish/white underbelly. They can grow up to 2 meters long. One particular snake was found to be 10 kgs however this is extremely uncommon.
There is not much variation in colour for red bellied black snakes. Their head also is glossy. When red bellied black snakes bite, they tend to be clumsy and chew on the victim.
Behaviour
This species is active by day. They are typically a very shy snake and will often freeze to avoid detection. When approached, the red bellied black snake will almost always try to flee at first instead towards the nearest hiding spot. When unable to escape, these snakes usually spread their neck, hiss, make mock strikes with a closed mouth “head butting” the target.
If severely provoked, injured or made to fear for its life, red bellied black snakes can deliver a very fast bite.
distribution & Food
These snakes are found near damp habitats such as streams or swampy areas. The lowland copperhead is found all over southern Victoria and has a preference for places near water including around ponds, dams, canals, drainage ditches and along the sides of roads. Copperheads have adapted to living in cold temperature climates. These snakes can be active in weather considered to be too cold for other snakes.