Been a while since we’ve had an Aussie wildlife thread. Here’s a lunatic living dangerously with an Eastern Brown.
Ten things you didn’t know about the world’s second most venomous snake
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In the UK it is known as Nigel.
Oi!
Oi again!
I encountered some kookaburra vomit today down the yard. Recently I moved a woodpile and in the process dislodged a heap of lizards. One of the regular burras at out property would nab one whenever I wheeled the wood to its new location. Clearly an overabundance as the kookaburra overindulged. I can confirm the lizards are eaten whole. I will spare you the pic.
Kookaburra Vomit – weren’t they big in the 70s?
At least it was only lizards in the woodpile…
Back to the snake. They don’t have a threatening name like taipan or mamba but the prosaically named Brown snake is top 3 deadliest snakes. Conclusion – that guy is a fucking idiot.
Watching that video made me feel uncomfortable in a “please put that thing down” sort of way. It was akin to the beginning of an episode of Casualty.
I half expected part way through that the presenter was changed and a different presenter finished the presentation off, with no reference as to why the first had had to be replaced.
“Taipan” and “mamba” do indeed conjure up a vision of snakes who will come at you armed with flick knives and broken beer bottles. “Brown snake” conjures up only a child’s favourite toy, possibly covered in corduroy, who will indicate he is actually a snake only by lisping dramatically.
Ramsbottom was an occasional brown snake character in The Sooty Show, He had an “ah-speak-as-ah-find” Yorkshire accent.
Is there a Western Brown Snake? Is it any less venomous?
There is and no it isn’t.
I guess that means there’s a Northern and Southern version too.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudonaja
Interestingly part of their name is Naja which is the family of Indian cobras.
Pseudonaja nuchalis, the northern brown snake[2] or gwardar, is a species of very fast, highly venomous elapid snake native to Australia. Its colour and pattern are rather variable, depending largely on its location.[2]
I live in the south but they are eastern browns around here.
Also get copperheads and red bellied black snakes
That’s the thing about brown snakes from all points of the compass, the bastards insist on not always being brown. Their mean little heads are a better identifier than colour. There’s a harmless tree snake round here that’s often misidentified as a brown.
Is there a beige version that only bites pensioners?
It’s not very far away really but NZ is the direct opposite of Australia in terms of bastad beasties. Nothing venomous really apart from a whitetail spider which is no bigger than a pea.
I would say that you can rest easy but the giant weta is the largest insect in the world and can be a bit confronting. They don’t bite or sting though, you just need to ask it politely to leave.
Odd that isnt it?
“Brownsnake” makes me think of David Coverdale’s shreddies at the end of a long tour..
And me the sort of overnight watchman in festival portaloos, should you get up early, ahead the cleaners…………
Better than the explosion at the mudflats, mind, beetroot optional.
Here’s an Eastern Brown having a moment. The red boots belong to our fearless local lady snake catcher.
Terrifying photo @mikethep. Those fangs are not to messed with.
I’m fascinated that in a town in Oz the local snake catcher is as familiar to the locals as the butcher, baker or milkman is in a British village,
I do like her boots.
According to the original youtube posting the fangs are quite small as the venom is so potent that they don’t need to bite deep. Still wouldn’t want to tangle with one.
@kaisfatdad Well, she posts a pic on Facebook of every snake she catches, so we all know who to call…Here’s the rest of her – little slip of a thing – with a python that might be bigger than she is.
What a lady! I’m going to start following illlcatchitsnakecatcher on Instagram.
Who needs Crocodile Dundee?
In Alice Springs the snake catcher is employed by the council so its free to call him out. Turned up to my step daughter’s place in thongs ( flip flops to you Brits)
Half a mile from our house
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-02-02/snake-bite-10-year-old-girl-in-alice-springs-hospital/13113314
I get that the snakes can be bad.
But no-one discusses the bastard magpies. Those things can memorize up to about 20 faces*; once you’re on the shitlist, they will continue to attack you.
This includes dog faces as well.
Mrs thep contends that you just have to be nice to them, so that when they recognise your face they think good guy, he gives us birdbaths and mince*. I’m not sure how far I’m prepared to go to prove/disprove this hypothesis.
*mince not actually recommended for magpies, despite the fact that a sizeable chunk of Oz’s mince mountain is fed to them.
One year, I didn’t have the chance to do anything good or bad, they just started attacking.
The local nature area, Desert Park, does a bird show every day, and very good it is too. The presenter tells a story that for a couple of years, her brother had to escalate the size and hardness of helmets – ooerr – he had to wear because of the nastiness of the attacks he got.
The Mrs used to favour cable ties in her gardening hat, but she doesn’t bother any more.
My son is on their shitlist, regularly attacked on his jog. Down here we have had up to 20 in the yard. No trouble. Mum used to feed them when down here. One got in the house the other day and when I shooed it out it walked. Out , literally, and at the most leisurely place looking over his shoulder err if he had shoulders. He was so cocky I expected him to have his wings on his hips as he strolled out err if his wings could bend and err if he had hips.
I have never liked magpies since when I was around seven years old one stole the toffee bar out of my hand.
They are bastards.
Mrs thep rests her case.
I had my own Oz wildlife experience this week, coming across this bad boy. According to my brother-in-law, it’s a black tiger snake and HIGHLY DANGEROUS, though not as HIGHLY DANGEROUS as an Eastern Brown. I doubt the difference would be obvious if it bit me though. Fortunately it continued snoozing as we tiptoed past. It’s a clumsy striker according to the snake page. Should play for Southend United.
Not in the same league as yours @mikethep but this is the only venomous snake I’ve come across.
The students I was with brought it to my attention so thinking it would be a grass snake I went to take a look. The adder was basking in some early February sunshine so I suggested it would be a good idea to step back so it could get some sun, and get them out of the way.
A few years before on another field trip another student had picked up an adder and got bitten and decided not to tell anyone as he didn’t want to get into trouble. Luckily when he started to look a little ill he was taken to hospital and was administered with anti-venom.
I’ve never actually seen an adder in Blighty.
I’ve seen more than a few when I used to get out and about in Cymru. A friend of mine managed to get bitten by one. It hospitalised him for a few days.
I don’t think you’ve missed much compared to the venomous bastards you have @mikethep.
Maybe less venomous but the black tiger beats the eastern brown for intimidating names.
Indeed…
The gift that keeps on giving…😬
https://newsapp.abc.net.au/newsapp/104669444?utm_source=abc_news_app&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_campaign=abc_news_app&utm_content=link
So, a trouser snake then.