‘Sunbaking snakes': Massive three metre python turns up in Queensland backyard

A huge python has caught Queensland residents by surprise when they stumbled on the massive reptile merely metres from their home.

The sizeable snake was captured while basking in the winters sun during a recent cold snap.

Lockie, a local reptile wrangler from Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers was called in to save the day and move the massive Coastal Carpet Python.

When asked by Yahoo7 if the slithering snake was a threat Lockie responded, “No, not at all. Carpet Pythons are not dangerous.”

“A bite would certainly hurt but once they get to that size they are generally pretty placid.”

“It’s probably not the biggest I've caught but it's in the top three,” Lockie responded when asked about imposing size of the snake.

“It would have been between five and 10 kilos which is pretty heavy for a snake.”

The snake has now been relocated to 500 metres away from the residence but still remains on the property.

“The residents were pretty cool about it. They knew it has been around for a while, since they first moved in. The snake was a little bit too close to the house,” Lockie told Yahoo7.

“A snake of that size could certainly see a small dog as a tasty treat,” the snake catcher explained.

“And so the home owners wanted it moved further away from the house as they have a small puppy, but they are still happy to keep it around, just not too close to their house.”

This species of python are often found on roads or rocks to keep warm during the colder winter months.

They are mostly active at night, feeding on mammals, reptiles, birds and frogs.

This species is found throughout the south east and has even been found in the centre of Brisbane's CBD.

They grow to an average length of two metres however can grow up to four metres.

News break – July 13