22 replies to this topic

[Mystic]

On warmer days snakes are very common throughout Tasmania, and your chances of seeing one in most bush areas is quite high. Do NOT try to catch them, as this is a certain way to get bitten.

Luckily, we only have 3 varieties of snake here (officially):

• Tasmania Tiger Snake - these come in a range of colours, and are often mistaken for mainland black snakes. Tassie tiger snakes can be black, black with yellow bellies, striped, and possibly other colours also. They have smaller fangs than the mainland version and seem to be less agressive also. Due to their smaller fangs they find it hard to penetrate thick materials. Gaiters and boots will usually protect you from these guys.
• Copperhead - Nasty little buggers! These are more agressive and will attack if cornered. These are also known to be out and about in winter, something not normally seen on the mainland.
• White Lipped Whip Snake - A small snake, only a couple of feet long and rather thin. Again, these will come out on sunny winter days.

All three have the potential to kill through their bite. All 3 need to be respected!

Common sense says that you do not walk through Australian bush in shorts and sandals, yet many do. Long pants, gaiters and sturdy boots will generally protect you from most snake bites, unless you are silly enough to try and catch them. The vast majority of bites happen around the ankle, but by trying to catch one, you are likely to be bitten on other parts of your body.

Always remember, that, unless they are cornered, snakes will usually try to run away. If you happen to be near a parent protecting a nest of young, they may act differently, but under most circumstances, leave them alone, and they will leave you alone. Always remember that when you are bushwalking in Tasmania, you will usually be a very long way from the nearest hospital.

If you are bitten, apply a pressure bandage as far up and down the limb as possible and seek medical attention. remain calm, and avoid exerting yourself. Death from snake bite in Australia is rare.

There is also no need to catch the snake, or identify it. The antivenom used for all snakes is identical.

Tassie Tiger Snake

Snakes are beautiful creatures, and must be respected. There is no need to panic simply because one may be near you.

the final word on snakes in Tasmania should go to a direct quote from the Tasmanian Parks & Wildlife Service...

Get Real!
If you are concerned about the danger that snakes pose to you or your family, there are many other things you can do to increase life expectancy far more realistically than not bushwalking for fear of snakes. These include:

• Stop smoking.
• Install smoke alarms in your house and make sure they are working.
• Do a first aid course and keep your certificate up to date.
• Do a defensive driving course and apply what you learn.
• Practice safe boating.

Also the attached PDF file, produced by "Parks and Wildlife Service Tasmania" provides information on snake varieties, habitats, myths, risks, and what to do if bitten. It is a valuable guide reproduced here in accordance with Tasmanian Govt Copyright requirements.
 Snakes.pdf   76.96K   113 downloads

[Mystic]

A question asked by a visitor via the Contact form...

question on snakes in suburbia -

You may be able to advise.....
I understand that it is against the law to kill a snake in the bush... Fair enough - stand still and they will move away..... But what is the situation if one is found in your back yard? I was told that they are to be left alone - even if they are in your yard.
It is all very well to say that snakes are protected... What about my family members including dogs, cats and other pets? Aren't they to be protected from the risk of snakebite?

What do I do if I come across a snake in my suburban 1/4 acre block???

Good question. My response to this was :

First, it is not usually likely that you will find a snake in suburbia, but that will depend on your locality. If you live near scrub or bushland, you may well discover them.

In our forum, there is a topic that includes a PDF document that can be downloaded (though you will need to register to access that) It helps with advice on how to minimize the potential for snakes in your yard.

Generally they will run from people, though if they are cornered, they will attack as a last resort. You may be surprised to know your cat will not be harmed as cats have a natural immunity to snake bite.

That does not help with your family though. Snakes are protected, and there are fines of up to $1000 for killing one. Check with Parks & Wildlife Service to discover if there are any snake catchers in your area, usually there will be one and they provide a free snake removal service. Keep their number handy.

If you spot a snake, cannot locate, or get hold of the local catcher, call the police and ask for their help. They will probably shoot it though, but at least if they do it, then you have no fear of prosecution.

I know that it seems silly, especially given that snakes are found in large numbers across Tasmania, and the rest of Australia, but also remember that it is exceptionally rare that a person is killed by snake bite in Australia. More people are killed by ants in Tasmania than by snakes. Strange, but true. Also remember that where snakebite does occur it is very likely to be the result of a person trying to kill the snake, this is almost a sure fire way to get bitten.

If bitten, apply a pressure bandage from the extremity of the limb upwards, keep the person calm, and get to the nearest doctor. You do not need to identify the snake as the same anti venom is used for all Tasmanian snakes.

[toni_n_daz]

Sorry...where did you get the information from regarding your reply to the visitor?

If you happen to be near a parent protecting a nest of young

....Tasmanian snakes do not protect their clutch......All neonates (babies) are independant from day 1 and slither away from their parents ASAP....In the case of Copperheads (Australaps superbus), they are known to be canabalistic and will eat their own young or even neonate tiger snakes.

Snakes are protected, and there are fines of up to $1000 for killing one

......Fines can be up to $10,000 and/or 6 months imprisonment....HOWEVER, guidelines are in palce that allow snakes to be killed if threatening human life or domestic pets

Check with Parks & Wildlife Service to discover if there are any snake catchers in your area, usually there will be one and they provide a free snake removal service. Keep their number handy.

.....Reptile Rescue Incorporated (RR Inc) is a statewide 24 hour, 7 day a week, 365 days per year, reptile removal service. Calls to Parks and Wildlife and Police are also transferred to RR Inc....As RR Inc is self funded, generally a small donation fee is requested to cover the Rangers expenses.....mobile 0407 565 181 ....Please feel free to call for any further info

[nineteenineteen]

I would second the Toni & Daz' comment that you contact Reptile Rescue. They're a god send.

[Mystic]

Thanks for the extra info, and the corrections Darron.

[toni_n_daz]

Thanks for the extra info, and the corrections Darron.

Your very welcome

[toni_n_daz]

I would second the Toni & Daz' comment that you contact Reptile Rescue. They're a god send.

Thanks for that favourable comment. We aim to please. We are currently trying to continue our service to the community and have managed to keep our response time to approx 20 minutes.

Just out of curiosity, what area do you live and how many times have you used our services?

Regards

Darron

[Irena]

Hello, I was enquiring as to whether anyone on this forum knew where there were snakes available for purchase in Tasmania.

[toni_n_daz]

Hello, I was enquiring as to whether anyone on this forum knew where there were snakes available for purchase in Tasmania.

Damn, has it been that long since I have logged in......Apologies

It is currently illegal to sell or buy any reptiles in Tasmania. However, the provisions are available to have a reptile donated to you.

This only includes Tasmanian snakes and not mainland species.

Hope this helps.

Darron

[zoidberg]

Hmmm cats may have more immunity to some snakes than a comparable sized human, but they are not completely immune to snake venom.
My mum's cat once got really sick (sorry it was so many years ago I can't remember the exact symptoms) and it had to go to the vet, who said it had been bitten by a snake...... on its behind!! Must have sat on the snake!!! How bizarre....

[dave]

the times we have visited Tassie we found the snakies over there to be very quiet and sluggish, probably the cold, the tigers and king browns we have here in south aussie will actively attack you if you are in between where they want to go and where they are coming from, they can slither as fast as a man, or woman can run, we struck quite a few along the great ocean road that react the same as Tassie snakes, not really minding being observed and one can easily just walk around them, giving a space of two or three meters, do that here and one of two things will happen, it will rear up and attack you or it will flee, breeding season here, (early spring) is a dangerous time for bushwalking, the snakes are just coming out of hibernation and wanting food and to breed, they will actively attack over a great distance if they see you, browns are the worst, we get them in our yard most years but normally they leave us alone and we return the favor, if it is in the house yard I like to see it off by squirting it with a hose or guiding it in the right direction with a broom or something, I dont like to kill snakes but I will if it leaves me with no alternative, the large pythons up in Queensland are fantastic, we had them draped over our ceiling beams in our rainforest retreat they had to be 12 feet if they were an inch, after the big green tree frogs which came in after the moths

[Mystic]

I once read somewhere someone saying...there is something wrong about brown snakes, snakes are supposed to run away!

Have had experiences myself with browns and tigers on the mainland, and am very aware that those buggers will chase you. Apparently copperheads down here are the same and much more aggressive than the tigers. Unfortunately it is almost impossible to pick the difference between the two until you can see a single scale on the backs of their heads.

[dave]

Hmmm! I dont intend to get that close!!

[Shane V]

Me either in the wild...but they are a beautiful creature. Something hypnotic about them

[bandi]

The further from snakes the better for me When I was young I went through a phase of stepping on any damn snake that was in sight! In the space of about 18 months, I stood on a Copperhead, a Brown, a Red belly black, a night tiger and a couple of carpets. I also managed to end up trapped in a concrete water tank (about 12 feet diameter), with a Brown (as you do when you're young ). Yet somehow, through all that, I was never bitten! Talk about pure luck.

As for aggression, I've seen a taipan about as big as they get (9 foot +) rear up off the ground and lunge at a school bus that had stopped to let primary school kids off. Unfortunatly, the proximity to houses and children meant the snake was killed (not by me)

These days if I see a snake other than a python, I usual end up as far from it as I can. I guess that's a downside to living in QLD. Even after those encounters though, I still rather see them left alone than killed.

[Mystic]

Amazing that you were never bitten. The snake gods definitely smile on you. Generally though if people leave them alone they will not attack, so there is not usually a reason to kill a snake, just let it do its snake thing and you do your thing...in a different direction.

[toni_n_daz]

Unfortunately it is almost impossible to pick the difference between the two until you can see a single scale on the backs of their heads.

That is one way of telling the difference. Both species are very different in colour, size and temperment. The head size is also very distinctive, with the copperhead having a much smaller head.

The easiest way to describe it is:
A copperhead is shaped like your finger (or spear) with no distinction between the head and body.
A tiger is shaped more like an arrow with a noticeable difference between head and body.

I will attempt to get some head pictures from my collection tomorrow and post, showing the vast difference between the 2.

Darron

[Mystic]

Would be interested in seeing your shots. I also am aware that there is a great deal of variation in colour, etc. intra species. Have seen copperheads and tigers literally side by side on a number of occasions, and at times, it is indeed difficult to pick the difference.

Quoting parks and wildlife Tasmania...

tiger snakes, despite their name, do not necessarily have stripes and there is a lot of overlap in the body colouration of the three species of Tasmanian snakes. The most reliable distinguishing feature is the middle head scale;

[exislegirl]

When I was young I went through a phase of stepping on any damn snake that was in sight!

Lol Anthony, I had a similar experience when young while living on a sugar cane farm in Bundy. Every time I went to turn on a tap, there would be a snake wrapped around it getting a drink. If I picked up a bundle of clothes to sort the washing, one would be in the pile or under it. Seemed like every time I turned around there was a snake... but like you, I was never bitten.

With ex-Sydney-sider parents, I was always taught the only good snake/spider was a dead one. Wasn't until I became a 'peace, love & brown rice hippy' that any snakes and spiders could feel safe around me. Ended up having a very docile and friendly Children's Python living in residence, who tolerated being handled at least once a day. It liked to lie on the kitchen bench soaking up the sun through the window.

I have a catch and release policy for anything I don't want to share my environment with these days... unless it is a cockroach (except rainforest cockroaches - which are lovely).

Natalie

[bandi]

Glad it wasn't just me Natalie!