Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Australia How Common Are Snakes?

I know how dangerous they are, but I wonder what the chances are of running into one in the bush. I ask because of three things.
1. One of the snakes is referred to as the Common Brown Snake. Just how "common" is it?
2. On a garden tour in Tasmania several years ago, our guide, in a normal tone of voice, briefed us "if you see a snake, head in the opposite direction and let me know". She wasn't trying to scare us, just letting us know that it could happen.
3. Before visiting Sydney, I read that they'd seen Red-Bellied Black Snakes in the Royal Botanical Gardens. When we walked it, I was amazed that they'd be living in a park in the middle of Sydney with people all around.
So my main question is, how often do you see one, and in what kind of terrain?

Not very often. When I do, it's usually alongside a creek or river. I nearly stepped on one last year while walking in the grass beside a creek ...which startled both me and it, it made a couple of lunges, I stepped back, then it slithered into the water. I think it was a brown, but things happened too fast to take note.

Generally don't see them that often, but they are there. Have seen the odd Taipan and Red Bellied Black snake while out hunting or bush walking. I've recently saw a Green Tree Snake in my garden just outside my patio, and I live in the suburbs of Brisbane for crying out loud.

The Taipans, Browns and Tiger snakes can act defensively if startled.

I used to drive past the cane field areas along the Queensland coastline for work and I'd always see a few snakes slither off the side of the road as I was driving along - not sure what type they were. The cane fields bring in all sorts of insects and rodents that the snakes feed on. I've seen them also inside electrical switchboards, cable ducts and underground cable pits around those areas, or sometimes just their shed skins. Any outside electrical work usually involves a snake catcher to catch and relocate the snakes.

Carpet Pythons are said to be fairly common too but I have never come across one - I wish I'd had one to eat the possums that were living in the garage and house roof at one stage.

Forgot to mention - Dugites are everywhere around Perth and the south west of Western Australia. I lived in Perth for a while and used to ride my bike around the river and various lakes. I used to see them all the time around the various lakes, and various man made in-ground water reservoirs. They aren't aggressive but are venomous.

I've never known one to put on airs.

It depends a lot in what part of Australia you go to. I live in the north east of NSW, and we have our share of snakes. We actually had a common Brown snake in our kitchen once. I had to kill it with a shovel because a shotgun would mess up the floor. We get regular visits from couple of Pythons, or carpet snakes that chew on the occasional bush rat. The fact is that we do have some of the most venomous snakes in the world here, but there are really very few fatalities from them. If they are not in or around the house I leave them alone. Most people who get bitten by a snake have either tried to kill them, or have stepped on them. You just watch where you put your feet in the bush and you'll be fine.

See them lots in the Bush.

I live on a small block in the city, we have had browns here and son ran over some juvenile ones with lawnmower - juvenile snakes can be deadly as have fresh venom and poor venom control so can latch on and inject heaps.

Next door neighbor killed a red-bellied Black week before last, his dog alerted him to it. Shame as I like the blacks.

At work, in the Bush I am a Geologist, I always carry a snake bite kit and sat phone.

Usually you leave them alone and they will leave you alone.

If you are stumbling around irrigation at night you are definitely going to strike some, if you are in town you probably won't see any, if you are wandering up the main street it is extremely unlikely you will see one.

Browns are as common as muck at the local tip, mostly seen on the dirt road going down the back...but they don't bother me so I don't bother them.

Seeing them whilst working in town is uncommon enough to warrant mention...grabbing one when working in the gardens is an excellent attention getter as it really helps to sharpen one's focus and raise the heart rate.


General rule of thumb is to leave them alone...unless they are in your yard in which case all bets are off and the law is ignored.

quite a few here in the rainforest , especially breeding season. Have seen two snakes on the roads here at night the last two days. We get a few night tigers(brown tree snakes) show up a month at work, usually wrapped around a rafter of the tin roof for warmth. Banana farms here place an opaque plastic bag around bunches for protection and growth. Snakes often crawl into the bags for warmth at night and when workers cut the bunches in the morning its not uncommon to have a snake drop out. They are usually drowsy and escape sluggishly into the bush- the snakes that is Snakes are protected in Australia these days, cant kill them. In the day they were dispatched by anything from grandads shovel to a 410 shotgun. Realistically you can survive about any snake encounter just by moving away from it.

When I was in primary school in the early 70s I remember that we were taught to kill snakes by breaking their back with a shovel and then chopping their head off with the shovel. I don't think there were further qualifications or concerns.

I saw a few snakes when I spent some time in the bush in Australia. As people have said, they're not a problem as long as you pay attention to where you put your hands and feet. Australia has some pretty cool snakes. I wish I'd seen more.

I see quite a few snakes while fishing through the summer. Mostly red belly blacks so we always have to be careful. I tend to be a bit casual about them but they are still Number 9 I think. The odd tiger snake and eastern brown pop up too. The eastern browns are Number 2 in the world and very aggressive. But while walking through the bush seeing a snake is quite a rare occurance. Maybe one or two in a whole year. Maybe a couple on the roads while driving. However, everyone I know carries one or two bandages in their fishing or hunting bags. It's just standard practice. As more and more people become urbanised, the fear of snakes is increasing. I work with people who won't go fishing because of the fear of snakes. The less they know the more they fear. But snakes are about and we always look for them when walking along a river bank.

This might be worth a watch.

I trod on the tail of a King Brown about 50 cm from it's tail. I was out west on my own hunting pigs and was playing with my GPS and felt something squishy under my foot. I kinda new what it was before I looked. There under my foot was a King Brown a bit smaller than the one in the vid. Luckily he was stretched out and his head was a metre from my foot. Apparently, they are not as aggressive as an eastern brown. I gently lifted my foot and it stayed there for 30 seconds, or so it felt, and when it was calm it slowly slid off. It was only after that I realised how lucky I was. I was wearing shorts, I was two kilometres from the car, my snake bandages were in my pack (which was in the car), I was five kilometres from the farm house and 100km from the nearest hospital. Lucky it wasn't an eastern brown as they are angry buggers and I reckon I would have been bitten.

What is a "snake bandage?"

Compression bandage used for reducing transmission of venom in the body.

The US doesnt follow this as rigidly since they dont have as many deadly snakes and for several species compression is not advised as it can cause tissue destruction from the venom in that area.

Australia has more deadly snakes which also may not be identifiable by victims. As such the first aid priority is assume its deadly, apply compression and accept the chance of tissue destruction.

I don’t like spiders and snakes, that ain’t what it takes to love me!! Coo, coo, coochoo!!

I once asked an Aussie friend how many of the Australian snakes were venomous,

"ALL OF THEM!"

She might have been a little phobic....

Okay, I will throw you a bone for that one 5sdad.

Yes, and no. Enough of them are venomous that you don't take chances. It's not like here in Michigan where there is only one venomous snake and it's relatively rare.