Aussie man's fright as snake emerges from drain during shower
After watching video footage of the moment, people said they'll 'never be able to look at the drain the same again'.
A surprise visitor that paid one wildlife enthusiast a visit during his morning shower has left Aussies saying they'll "never be able to look at the drain the same again".
The Northern Territory man recorded a video of the tiny snake lifting its head up through a shower drain to say hello, joking the "little fella" was "coming out to cuddle with me".
Asking for help from responders to identify the critter, it was quickly established the animal in question was a children's python, non-venomous and classified as vulnerable in some parts of the country.
Children's pythons grow to just one metre in length, making them the second smallest python in the world – and one of the daintiest Aussie snakes.
Huge snake found in Aussie garden devouring prey: 'Like eating an umbrella'
Dire 'electric shock’ warning for Aussies as deadly snake found in tight spot
Non-venomous children's python found all over country's north
The species is brown in appearance with dark markings and their scales have an iridescent blue sheen.
They can be found in the far north of Western Australia, northern regions of the NT, and in Far North Queensland. While the NT man was excited to find the animal had come to pay him a visit, plenty of people replied to the video urging him to "turn off the water" over fears the snake could drown.
One person responding who claimed to be an expert in wildlife encouraged the man to call a snake catcher to be safe, though children's pythons do live in a wide variety of natural habitats, including in wetlands.
Snake expert weighs in
The animals, like most of their relatives, are nocturnal, so it's possible the little serpent was more bothered by the fact it had been woken up. Speaking to Yahoo News Australia, Snake Catcher Dan said the python didn't "appear to be stressing out" and agreed it would not have been in danger of drowning in the shower.
"To me, it looks like the snake is just too wide to fit through the drain cover," he told Yahoo. "It’s trying, but it just can’t make it all the way. It doesn’t appear to be stressing out. But does look like it’s really trying to get through. It could be that the pipe is filing up with water.
"That snake won’t drown, if it really needs to, it would hold onto the drain cover and just sit with its head through the gap."
People responding to the video joked that it changed the way they view their morning shower.
"I’m never going to look at the drain points in the bathroom the same again," one person wrote. "I always check the toilet. Now I gotta add shower to list," said another.
"My question is, how did it get in there. I'd be worried about a broken pipe," another Aussie said.
Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? Get our new newsletter showcasing the week’s best stories.
