Bullet-shaped eggs in woman’s front yard baffle Aussies
The suggestions came in thick and fast as to what they could be.
An unusual discovery in the front yard of a woman's home has sent social media into a spin after photos were shared by the perplexed homeowner asking what they could be.
The photos posted on Facebook show three pink bullet-shaped objects nestled among some sticks at the base of a large tree — a sight that made the Perth resident stop and ponder.
"Does anyone know what these are?" she questioned on Wednesday. "I’ve just found out front". The woman from Fremantle said she was hesitant to move them or even touch them. The suggestions came in thick and fast and ranged from "dinosaur eggs" to "sea glass" and even crystals.
Many agreed the objects resembled animal eggs, but struggled to identify the type. "Looks like eggs of some kind. Interested to see what it turns out to be," one person suggested. "They look reptilian, some sort of snake?" said another, to which the poster agreed. But the thought of them hatching made the Perth woman shiver. "My original concern [was that] our heatwave here in WA [could cause them to] suddenly hatch," she said.
The woman later confirmed that she notified her council and the state's Department of Biodiversity and Conservation and Attractions, but neither could give her answers. The mystery has even baffled some experts who say they don't appear to be from a snake, lizard or bird. Snake eggs are typically white in colour.
Mystery find identified by experts
Yahoo News Australia can confirm the mysterious objects are in fact snake eggs — but they're infertile, meaning there's no snake inside. These are also known as slugs.
"That will happen quite regularly because [snakes] do have a large clutch, and not all of them will be fertile," Tina Chenery, a venomous snake handler and wildlife exhibitor, told Yahoo. "Sometimes it could be that the female wasn't in good condition, or it could just be a bad clutch of eggs."
Slugs can also vary in colour ranging from a shade of yellow through to black. "They will look distinctly off. Just like when you go to the supermarket and the food is not up to scratch. You can tell the difference," Chenery explained.
Since they're infertile, the eggs will not hatch and it's best to leave them where they are. "They will get preyed upon by other lizards," like monitor lizards which feed on eggs," Chenery said. Her husband John said it's likely there are other fertile eggs around, and the female snake might be too.
"In our experience with snakes, if they've got slugs like that, they'll discard those ones and then keep the good ones sort of altogether," he explained. Many snake species do this sort of thing he said, but it's impossible to tell what type of snake is responsible for these eggs.
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