Woman 'terrified' after spotting snake hiding in garden — can you see it?
The Queensland resident called in the experts to help catch the snake.
A Queensland woman got quite a fright last week after stumbling upon a giant snake curled up in her garden beneath a tree.
Local snake catcher Jaedon told Yahoo News Australia it was a "friendly" Coastal Carpet Python, and that he was called in to help remove the reptile from her Sunnybank home in Brisbane — but he almost couldn't find it.
The woman spotted the animal — which can exceed three metres long — and quickly ran inside to call him. She was "too terrified" to revisit her garden until it was gone, Jaedon revealed.
"When I got there she pointed it out but I couldn't even see it because it was so well camouflaged. The colour of the scales and skin in contrast to the leaf litter, it was well hidden," he said.
After getting in close, Jaedon eventually spotted the python, which he says is not dangerous to humans. "It was curled up having nap," he said.
"They are a constrictor. So they kill their prey by ambush and suffocate them," he explained. "But they're not dangerous to people. You can walk right past them and they're not going to do anything, they'll just keep sleeping".
Following the encounter, Snake Catcher Brisbane and Gold Coast posted photos of the find on Facebook and asked its followers to "spot the snake". The only hint they gave was that it was not hidden in the fence, leaving some scratching their heads.
Many people compared it to the popular children’s guessing book Where’s Wally. The next day, the snake catchers posted another photo revealing where the snake was hiding — behind the timber plank nestled within the garden.
Coastal carpet pythons can be found along the south coast of Australia. They are one of the most commonly found snakes in backyards in Queensland. They feed mostly on mammals including rodents and possums, but also some reptiles like birds and frogs.
What to do if you spot a snake
Stay still if it noticed you.
If it's moving, let it go past by itself.
Don't interact with the snake.
Walk past slowly if at a safe distance and if it is safe to do so.
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