Fraser Island Snakes
Although Australia is famous for Steve Irwin and Dangerous Snakes, it comes as a surprise to most that the majority of our snakes are inoffensive and very shy. Even the traditional owners of our land hunted mainly slow non-venomous snakes and left the dangerous ones alone. With Fraser Island being made entirely of sand, vibrations pass along the ground relatively easily. Thus snakes tend hear humans coming a lot earlier and tend to be gone by the time people get near their location. The snakes found in Africa, China, Pakistan of the Middle East (to name but a few) have caused a lot more deaths than any of our ‘Deadly Creatures’ that Australia is famous for. Here are a few of the Snakes of Fraser Island.
- The Death Adder grows to just 50 centimetres with a very short and thick body. They have a triangular head, and have a tail that looks as though it has just been cut off at the end of the snakes’ body. The Death Adder is usually has a greyish appearance but can also appear a reddish brown depending on the environment it is found in. They are found on Fraser Island in Eucalypt forests, leaf litter and over hanging foliage. They usually ambush their prey during the day or night, which consists of frogs, birds, lizards, mice and rats. They don’t seem to have that usual fear of humans and quite often are trod on due to the fact that they don’t retreat at the sound of humans approaching. However in saying this, Death Adders’ are not ready biters.
- The Coastal Taipan can be found on Fraser Island in dense heath covered areas, wetlands, rainforest and in coastal sandy areas. They grow up to 3 metres in length and unless it’s extremely hot, will only hunt during the day. They range in colour from a dark brown to almost a creamy colour and have a creamy tinge on their bellies. These snakes DO NOT like humans and will usually head in the other direction if they hear people coming. If you do come across a Coastal Taipan you should leave it alone as they can become nervous and aggressive if cornered.
- The King Brown or Mulga Snake is found all over Australia except in Victoria. They feed on rats, lizards, birds and other snakes and have the largest venom output of all Australian snakes. The bite of the King Brown has been likened to being hit with a sledge-hammer. If the King Brown is provoked it will become aggressive and strike repeatedly. They range is size up the 3 metres, however the average length in around the 1.5 metre mark. It has a dark and light speckly look about it, almost like a minature chess board.