Mystery surrounds seven-metre snake skin found near creek
A Far North Queensland man has found a colossal seven-metre snake skin while walking near a creek.
Dylan Morris, from Cairns, shared a photo of the mammoth serpent’s skin on Facebook laying next to his dad, Stuart, on Saturday.
Stuart told the ABC he found it near a creek in the suburb of Freshwater.
"I took a couple of pictures of it and carried on with my walk, and on my way back it was still there so I thought I'd roll it up and take it home," Mr Morris told the ABC.
"I soaked it in water in the laundry tub because it was all stiff and I laid it flat on the floor in the sun to dry it.”
He believes the snake was skinned judging by the condition of the skin.
Sunshine Coast snake catcher Stuart Mackenzie believes the skin is from a reticulated python from Southeast Asia.
“I can only speculate but I think someone’s brought that skin over,” he said.
“Those pythons are illegal to own in Australia unless they’re in a zoo.
“And it’s hard to see how someone could smuggle in a seven-metre python.”
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The photo has been shared more than 4500 times with many shocked by the find.
“Time to move,” one man wrote.
Another man asked where the skin was found “because I’m never going there”.
“Ha nope. Burn the house down,” one woman wrote.
Mr Mackenzie added the find was “pretty crazy”.
When asked if reticulated pythons are dangerous, Mr Mackenzie said “100 per cent”.
“They’re not venomous like eastern browns are here, but because of their sheer size and power they can constrict people and eat them,” he said.
“And a snake that big (seven metres) would definitely be able to eat people.”
Last year, a reticulated python swallowed a woman whole while she was tending to her garden in central Indonesia.
While there have been reports of reticulated pythons eating people, their usual diet prey includes pigs, primates and – when close to residential areas – cats, dogs and chickens.
The species is also listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna.
The convention is an international agreement, which Australia is a part of, that aims to ensure the trade of wildlife doesn't threaten native flora or fauna.
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