Flood victim's warning after surprising discovery inside home
A Queensland man was taking a break from cleaning his water-damaged house when he made a surprising discovery.
Since the floods impacted North MacLean, south of Brisbane, two weeks ago, small crickets have made their home inside the damaged walls of 35-year-old Morgan Fuery’s home.
Having spent much of Tuesday working to remove mould, he had sat down to enjoy a meal and watch some television when he noticed a tiny creature wriggling on the ground.
While most people would have mistaken the long pink creature for a worm, Mr Fuery knew better.
What he'd actually discovered was a tiny blind snake, and he's warning flood victims they don't need to be afraid of them.
The Australian Museum describes all species in Australia's eastern states as "non-venomous and harmless".
Those found in homes could be displaced after the floods and in need of help.
What you need to know to identify a blind snake
Mr Fuery has shared a few key details that homeowners should look out for to identify blind snakes.
The first thing to look out for are tiny black eyes covered in translucent scales which leave them unable to see, the other is the way they move.
“I saw it on the lino, just sort of wiggling around down there,” Mr Fuery told Yahoo News Australia.
“It was moving very differently to a worm, and after a lot of rain we usually get quite a number of worms, but they’re kind of sticky and that affects how they move.
“This guy was smooth and it was wriggling like a snake… and he was flicking around all over the place just trying to move across the floor.”
Why man wasn't afraid of snake found in home
Despite having occasionally seen blind snakes on his property, this was the first time one had slithered inside.
While some may feel threatened by having a snake in their home, Mr Fuery is a reptile enthusiast and he knew immediately the animal posed no harm.
All 46 species of blind snake are unable to bite and their only defences are to produce a pungent odour, vomit up their last meal, or attack with a small tail spine.
They are generally a welcome addition to anyone's garden as they eat insects including termites and ants.
Mr Fuery simply picked up the creature in a glass, photographed it and released it in his yard.
“They're a borrowing snake and so I put it under the pot plant,” he said.
“Also we get quite a few (cane) toads and I didn't want him to become a toad snack.”
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