Deadly detail in sand reveals little-known risk at Aussie beaches
The beachgoers had no idea of the risk they were in while sitting on the sand as a deadly brown snake headed their way.
It's a well-travelled tale that Aussies move through their days narrowly dodging the wrath of its many deadly animals, but one recent sighting at a popular beach hasn't helped curb such beliefs.
While a group of chilled-out beachgoers lounged in the sun at Spinifex North Beach in Perth last week, one of the deadliest snakes in the world could be seen making its way along the sand only metres away, slithering up and down and going in and out of vision.
The snake was a western brown — with its venom so potent it can cause death in less than half an hour.
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Deadly snakes spend 'entire lives metres away from people'
These snakes are common along the west coast of Australia and often go unnoticed despite often "living their entire lives metres away from people and are rarely seen".
The species often spend time at the beach as it is full of "rodents and lizards", which are an "ideal food source for brown snakes", snake catcher and reptile expert Mathew Hampton told Yahoo News.
"Brown snakes are the most adaptable of Aussie snakes, so they live in highly modified and trafficked areas such as beaches without an issue," he said. "The only time they are usually noticed is when they stray a little too far from the cover of the tree line and they can end up in some risky locations like amongst swimmers."
Although western brown snakes are considered less aggressive than their eastern cousin, they are fast-moving and nervous in temperament and are part of the group of snakes that cause the most fatalities in the country, according to Australian Geographic.
Around 3,000 snake bites are reported each year in the country, with 41 per cent from brown snakes. Fatalities are relatively low with two deaths reported each year on average, however the majority of those are from brown snakes.
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