Sunday, April 3, 2011

The 2nd Most Deadly Snake in the World

The eastern brown snake is the species responsible for most deaths caused by snakebite in Australia, although, with the advent of efficient first-aid treatment and antivenom, there are now usually only one or two deaths per year. A large adult brown snake is a formidable creature. They may exceed two metres in length and, on hot days, can move at surprising speed. It has a slender body and is variable in colour ranging from uniform tan to grey or dark brown. The belly is cream, yellow or pale orange with darker orange spots.

And I got to stick my camera in a brown snake's face today. Huuuhhh-zzzah!

One good way to identify the eastern brown:

When attacking, the brown snake winds its body into an 'S' shape, raising itself off the ground.

One not great pic. (This snake was scary fast.)


And a video. Stop it at the 22-second mark, and you can see the snake rise up into the distinctive brown snake "S" shape. (And you can hear Christine in the background say, in a way that means oh so much more than you know, "I think it's a brown snake Thom." She said that several more times in the few minutes I was with that snake.)



9 comments:

  1. We live in the only area of the world where that bloody funnel-web lives-it's not all over Australia, just HERE ...for Thom..........and no-one I repeat no-one, happily chases a brown snake in order to video it. Very unfortunate...ly videos that Thom makes of himself, often have me in the background saying things like "what don't you understand about deadly?" or "Thom it's deadly" or "If you get bit you have three minutes" or "FATAL - IT'S FATAL THOM -OH GOD - I'M GETTING A STICK"....(that actually was in regard to estuarine man-eating, will stalk you, crocodiles...long story). David Hoye has a good story about Thom, him and a rattlesnake down near Shasta....

    ReplyDelete
  2. awesome...but please be careful!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Death wish! Can I buy a life insurance policy for you, with me as beneficiary?

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love being with you on your adventures, if only by video! I hope someday in person! Love and Love and live!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Yes, yes - take insurance policies out on me. I recommend it!

    Thanks everyone...

    ReplyDelete
  6. In the picture of the snake is a yellow faced whip snake.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Snake boy - really? Do they do the s-shape?

    ReplyDelete