Spring-time wake-up call…
Mikey has been posting some amazing images of reptiles
and their behaviour at her place lately…
now I cannot match the snake-eating-snake series,
He’s around 7 feet in length (a bit over 2 metres) lazily stretching out in the sunshine on one of our paddock roads. As winter flees the scene here at Granite Glen, and Summer tramples all over Spring with soaring temperatures, our reptiles are waking up fast and sunning themselves on every available bit of bare ground…
As our friend Steve Irwin would have said…
Isn’t he a BEAUTY?
There is something utterly mesmerising about snakes.
As our friend Steve Irwin would have said…
Isn’t he a BEAUTY?
There is something utterly mesmerising about snakes.
Sinuous and smooth and glossy…
Of course a snake is a snake is a snake…
And to be honest, I’m not so much a fan of getting up close and personal with ’em
And to be honest, I’m not so much a fan of getting up close and personal with ’em
especially when they do the tongue flicker…
*shudder*
Gotta love a zoom lense though!
Gotta love a zoom lense though!
…
We have quite a lot of the deadly variety (browns, taipans , death adders etc) around here too, of which we have already seen a number in the last couple of weeks. These guys are to be avoided at all costs. The last one – a big brown almost 5-and-a-half feet long – was spotted right near the house a few days ago… not exactly a formula for letting the kids play out of Mummy’s line of sight!
…
But these pythons are supposed to be the ‘good guys’ and actually eat the venomous versions of their species. Now I’d like to see THAT!!
And as this guy did a u-turn away from the ute, and headed back into the bush, I did admire his incredible lithe form and intricate patterning.
And as this guy did a u-turn away from the ute, and headed back into the bush, I did admire his incredible lithe form and intricate patterning.
Bye-bye Mr ‘Joe Blake’.
I am sooooo brave with a few inches of metal between me and Mother Nature’s finest…
I am SUCH a city girl sometimes!!!
17 Comments
Kate
What a gorgeous snake, wow. He is really beautiful. Yes the deadly ones are scary and i avoid them at all costs (we only have rattlesnakes out here in the desert) but i love the non-deadly versions. I spent my childhood catching garter snakes.
Having those deadly ones so close to your home. Wow. that would totally freak me out. Do they make a special snake-eating dog you could buy? One that is impervious to venom 🙂
And i miss Steve Irwin! RIP friend.
Kelly
Wonderful photos!!!
I do find snakes fascinating! I don't mind handling constrictors in a controlled atmosphere (i.e. pet shop), but I leave the venomous varieties alone!!
One of our pups had an encounter with a snake recently, probably a copperhead. It got him on the muzzle and there was a tremendous amount of swelling and subsequent necrosis, but he made it through the event with little damage. Bet he won't stick his nose where it doesn't belong again!
Sondre Lyn
Aaack!!! Seeing one of those "beauties" anywhere near my home would scare the crap out of me!!!
Pony Girl
Yikes! I'm so glad we don't have snakes that get that big, or, the poisonous ones! It's one thing that keeps me a bit fearful to visit your part of the country, LOL! 🙂
Debby
GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!
Mom L
What a beauty, and beautiful shots of him. I really do like snakes, as long as they are non-venomous, and have held quite a few in my time, including Banana Boy, a huge "albino" python – had pale yellow coloring. When I volunteered at a family zoo and nature preserve in Maryland, I found that kids loved to touch the snakes but the parents were scared!!!
Nancy in Iowa
jeanie
Ah, the joys of a telephoto lens – and a computer screen and the knowledge that they can't (or shouldn't) climb stairs.
Deb
What a gorgeous creature! I will admit I am happy he's in your neck of the woods and not mine but it is stunning none the less.
We have a few timber rattlers around but no other venemous types. I'm not a big snake fan and my guineas make light works of the small ones around the farm.
Be careful where you walk!
Jayne
Crikey, I admire you for actually leaving the vehicle to take those pics, BB ! *shudder*
Andrea
Oh my….snakes creep me out. I have always said that animals just should not not have legs!! they give me the heebie geebies!! Mikey has been having a lot of close encounters with the slithering kind!! I think yours takes the cake in size!! Yikes!
Paint Girl
I don't like snakes of any kind! But at least that snake kills the poisonous ones! You do get some nasty ones!
Even though I freak out when I see a snake, I love to watch the snake shows on Animal Planet or Discovery. They don't scare me as bad on tv, and I like to learn about all the different kinds out there. Thank goodness we don't have any poisonous ones here, or ones that get that big!
Lydia
Holy mother of Moses is that a snake! So glad he is out there eating the bad guys (of the snake variety). Thanks for sharing this post — I do like snakes (as long as I know what they are) but have a good healthy respect for those of the venomous kind.
Walk gingerly!
Mikey
Oh WOW!! He IS a beauty!!! I love snakes, especially those kind. Would you care to gather him up and ship him this way???
I don't know about your venomous ones… they scare me more than the rattlers. Yours, you wouldn't even make it to a hospital before you die. THAT scares me. I hear ya on watching the kiddos closely. That's the one thing I saw all year round as she goes out the door, WATCH FOR SNAKES. Seriously, I think she sees them better than I do.
That is one hell of a snake though. Absolutely gorgeous!!!
Woman in a Window
um, liking my bit of tundra right about now…
Leslie
Crikey!
Oh, and I'm off to Italy again in 2 and 1/2 weeks. 🙂
Leslie
Hey – the word verification for this snake post was… wait for it… "hisses". lol
Theresa in Alberta
Thankyou for stating that you used a telephoto lens BB!! I would not want to be within a mile of those “beauties”!!!