What's wrong with this picture? Snake catcher's warning to homeowners

A Gold Coast snake catcher has issued a stern warning to homeowners after one unsuspecting social media user made a potentially deadly mistake.

In the midst of a chaotic season for snake catchers around Australia, Max from Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers made the decision to educate the public on “how not to ask for an ID”, using two recent images to illustrate his point.

“We are always happy to provide a snake identification service for anyone that has a photo of a snake - however I thought I’d use these two examples of how not to do it,” he said.

“The first image is a man holding a juvenile Eastern Brown Snake (dangerously venomous!) asking for an ID.

“If you’re not sure of the snake species definitely do not touch it, we have some seriously dangerously species here in Australia so always keep your own safety first!"

Sharing another image of what appeared to be the outline of a juvenile snake in a pool, Max encouraged homeowners to try and provide clearer images so they could help establish the type.

• Sunshine Coast family shocked to discover reason toilet was mysteriously flushing

• WATCH: Snake desperate for a drink rescued after stuck in beer can

• Queensland woman pops into pantry for supplies but finds eastern brown

“If it is safe to get closer to the snake than the pool image it will allow us to provide a confident ID,” he added.

After sharing the Facebook post, many uploaded photos of snakes they found in their homes for Max to identify.

Most were harmless common tree snakes.

The warning comes just one day after a venomous tiger snake caused chaos in Melbourne's CBD.

Police were forced to close part of a footpath near near Southern Cross Station on Thursday after a venomous tiger snake was spotted slithering down the street.

The snake was shown off to the crowd before one of Spencer Street's southbound lanes was reopened to traffic after 1pm.

Snake Catcher Victoria's Barry Goldsmith told Yahoo7 News the serpent was about 90cm long.

"I've been out to the CBD a few times to get escaped pythons," he said.

"But this is the first time I've gone out to the city for a tiger snake."