In another instance of Australia’s larger-than-life wildlife causing shocking the internet, a gargantuan python has been spotted stretched across a road.
The snake was found in northern Queensland on Tuesday, with its scaly length crossing the whole width of one of the road lanes.
“Check out the size of this one,” Redland’s Snake Catcher captioned a Facebook post sharing pictures of the snake. “Sent in from a lady officer stationed in far north Qld.”
In the comments, many expressed their horror at the sight, while others were pleased to see the snake reach such a large size.
“Another ‘nope rope’,” one commented.
“Not only would I be moving house, I’d be moving state too,” said another.
“Beautiful to see a snake get to the size,” somebody else commented.
The snake catchers helped the python move itself out of the road, slithering off into the undergrowth.
“They helped this ‘Tiny’ snake across the road. Imagine finding this in your backyard!” Redland’s Snake Catcher said in the post.
The snake catchers do not specify the species. There are 14 species of python that live in Australia, including the carpet python, diamond python and scrub python.
In the comments of the post, one person suggested that this snake may have been a scrub python.
Australian scrub pythons—a subspecies of the amethystine python—are the largest species of snake found in Australia, growing to around 15 feet long on average, with some having been reported to have reached up to 25 feet long.
These huge snakes are native to the far north of Queensland, and mostly feed on birds and mammals, including bush rats, northern quolls, bandicoots, possums, and domestic poultry. Australian scrub pythons are not venomous, instead killing their prey by constricting them to death using their long, muscular bodies.
Australian scrub pythons have been found lying across roads like this before, including in Cape Tribulation in the Daintree Rainforest in 2021.
In the comments on the post, one person suggested killing the snake instead of rescuing it, which sparked a retort from Redland’s Snake Catcher.
“Cut into a million pieces would be good,” the commenter said.
“why is that John? Killing snakes in Australia is not only illegal, but why on earth would you kill a harmless reptile,” Redland’s Snake Catcher replied.
Snakes in Queensland are protected under the Nature Conservation Act 1992, which makes it an offense to kill, injure or take snakes from the wild.
“When left alone, snakes pose little or no danger to people,” the Queensland government states.
This article by Jess Thomson was first published by Newsweek on 22 June 2023. Lead Image: Redland’s Snake Catcher image of the snake stretched across the road next to a person. The images of the enormous reptile have shocked the internet. REDLAND’S SNAKE CATCHER.
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