Aussie dad's surprising reaction to red-bellied black snake: 'Pretty cool'

A day after his birthday, a Queensland dad downed a couple of beers and was relaxing with his family when his son noticed a massive snake slithering towards him. Surviving the encounter without incident was one of a string of lucky moments Ross had last week.

“Don’t move, dad. Don’t move,” Ross’s son, Ross Junior can be heard saying in a calm voice.

Captured on video, the 10-second encounter is a perfect example of how to avoid aggression from a venomous snake. “It’ll just slither past you,” Ross Junior advises.

Ross, 57, told Yahoo News Australia he hadn’t heard the snake approaching as he enjoyed his VB. He can be seen slightly tilting his head to clock the snake as he listens to his son and surprisingly stays completely calm.

But the moment it was gone, Ross apparently jumped a foot in the air. “Once it was about five feet away I got the hell out of there,” he revealed.

Fascinating bed-bellied black snake facts

• The venom from black snakes can cause victims to lose their sense of taste.

• Red-bellied black snakes are known to enjoy eating fish.

• The species has also been filmed eating other snakes.

• While the average size is around 1.5 metres, they can grow over 2.5 metres.

Son nearly stepped on curious snake

Prior to the snake interrupting their fishing, the family had been holidaying at Sundown National Park, a rugged wilderness around 200km west of Brisbane. Ross’s youngest son David told Yahoo everything had been “going well” on their trip and then the “visitor” began to show an interest in them.

“We saw that same snake around three times,” David said. “I nearly stepped on it the first time — thank goodness I noticed.”

Dave's near-miss was just one of the lucky events the family has experienced since they first saw the snake. A video of Ross's encounter was uploaded to TikTok and in just three days it attracted over 1.2 million views. “It’s been pretty cool. It’s our first video and it went viral,” Dave said.

What were the family's other lucky moments?

The family believes avoiding the snake was just one of three lucky events that happened during the trip.

The lottery ticket Ross purchased that same week returned a $100 prize, but there was one other important event that brought even more joy.

“We caught some good fish. The biggest yellowbelly I’ve ever caught in my life,” Dave said.

How should I respond if I see a snake?

Queensland's environment department urges anyone who sees a snake not to panic and allow it to slither away. "Snakes often want to escape when disturbed. Remember, all native wildlife, including snakes, are protected," it advises.

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If the snake is injured and needs help, you can contact a licensed snake catcher or wildlife rescuer. In Queensland, the RSPCA is also able to assist.

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