Aussies living in fear as huge snake spotted roaming suburb
The huge python has been slithering along a suburban street having people wondering where their cats have gone.
Aussies living in a northern Queensland suburb are concerned after a huge, metres-long python was spotted slithering through a busy residential street, on the doorstep of dozens of homes.
The snake — which experts believe to be either a carpet or scrub python — appears to be easily two metres long and was photographed at Bayview Heights in Cairns earlier this week. The find has prompted a warning from locals and experts alike, reminding residents to be wary of the creature.
While the snakes are largely harmless to humans unless provoked, one of that size could easily devour a small cat or dog, and people in the Cairns area have been told to be wary of the animals as reports of snake sightings increase during peak season.
Neighbourhood warned to watch out for pets
"That’s where all the missing cats have gone," a local wrote on social media in response to the sighting. "So many pythons around there. This one’s on the hunt for food."
"Dear Lord, that would have been right by my house — thank god the cats were inside," another said. "Saw this further down towards the bottom end last night, working its way up the street," another local wrote.
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The sighting comes as continued warnings from wildlife experts who have urged Aussies to remain vigilant around the animals, asking people to stay calm if one is spotted and call an experienced professional if it needs removing from a home.
Experts say snakes 'getting a lot bigger'
Speaking to Yahoo News, one Aussie snake catcher described the animals as being bigger than usual at this time of year.
"The size of snakes are changing," Sean Cade from Australian Snake Catchers said. "I seem to be getting a lot bigger snakes this year already, from a venomous perspective. That's a bit wild."
While the average length of the eastern brown — the second most venomous snake on the planet — is 1.2 metres, Sean explained he's already picked up a couple at 1.8 metres, as well as some "really thick" 1.5m long red-bellied black snakes "back to back".
"They're just bigger," he conceded. "They're thicker, they're longer, they're more robust snakes and I don't know what it is, but they're a little bit more cranky too."
Meanwhile, carpet pythons normally grow up to four metres, with anecdotal evidence recently suggesting they can even reach five.
Australia has around 140 species of land snakes and 32 that live in the sea. Roughly 100 Australian snakes are venomous, although only 12 are likely to inflict a wound that could kill you.
Experts say that although it may be common to be afraid of snakes, it's important to remember they are all protected species, never panic if you spot one, and remember they're probably more scared of you than you are of them.
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