Clash of the pythons: Two snakes battle it out in shower before Qld mum intervenes
A brave Queensland mum has captured the moment a pair of fighting two-metre pythons fell through the skylight and battled it out in her bathroom.
Her video shows two huge, male snakes twisting and turning with their tales tangled together as they fight for dominance on the shower floor.
Instead of panicking Petrina Murphy, 41, casually filmed and photographed the battle before calmly sweeping the snakes out of her home with a broom.
The mother-of-one from Byfield, north of Rockhampton, said she opened the skylight with the broom handle and let them fall into the shower.
“They had really wrapped themselves around each other and their tails were all knotted up," she said.
"Some people who’ve seen the video have asked if they’re mating, but they’re definitely two males fighting.
“After they fell through, I closed all the doors so they were just sliding around in the bathroom and then I used the broom to sweep them outside.
“They didn’t seem that bothered when I was sweeping them out.
"One took off pretty quickly but the other one kept trying to head in the direction of the bins so I was talking to it. I must sound mad."
Ms Murphy said she has never been particulary afraid of snakes.
“For people with a phobia it would be like something out of a nightmare," she admitted.
"But we’re pretty used to them out here.
“I would much rather get rid of them myself and know they’re gone, than have to deal with worrying about them finding their own way into the house.
“I’m just glad the shower was clean so I was able to get some photos and video without it being embarrassing.”
Snake urine dripping through ceiling
The snakes have been slithering around on Ms Murphy's roof throughout Australia’s winter months with the mum and her son Callum, 16, regularly hearing their 15kg bodies "thumping" over the rafters.
Not only has the mum spent four months worrying the pythons might suddenly decide to join her in front of the TV one night but she has had to deal with their urine dripping through the ceiling.
But instead of a conventional entrance, Petrina’s scaly lodgers decided to make their appearance while Callum was in the bathroom.
After hearing an unusual sound, Callum called out to his mum who came to investigate and discovered the snakes coiled around each other and sliding around on her skylight.
“We’ve known there was a snake living on the roof for about four months," she said.
"We’ve heard it sliding around up there and thumping over the rafters.
“Seeing two was a bit of a surprise but we live near a national park so snakes are something you get used to.
“The most annoying thing about having them up there was when they peed. Something would drip through the ceiling and you’d think it was water. Realising it was snake pee made me cranky.
“We haven’t had any rain here for about three months so the snakes come looking for where we keep our water. They just want a drink.
“A lot of people would have seen them and just had to get in their car and drive away, but I’m alright with snakes and spiders – even the huge ones. It’s ticks that freak me out.
“If I find a tick on me I’m terrified, but if a snake’s in my bathroom that’s no problem.”
