finally a snake in the backyard

[mikey_mike]

I was beginning to despair - two ponds, abundant green tree frogs (so noisy I can't watch tv when it rains), plenty of trees, chickens, more rodents than you can poke a stick at (feral rats + a caged population of snake food) & I've never found a snake in the garden.

I reckon this fella was worth the wait. I didn't get a photo that shows the bulge, but he's absolutely chockers with rats.

Hope he's got some friends.

 

[justin91]

His an absolute stunner..!

 

[phatty]

nice water python mike i have only found 1 of these in my yard only a hatchy

 

[mikey_mike]

Hmmm, I thought it was an Olive. I confess I've identified snakes as water pythons if I've found them near water & otherwise have called them Olives.

What should I look for to differentiate the 2?

Hope it's a water python as an adult olive will eat my chooks.

 

[Renenet]

Nice visitor! I love water pythons.

Water pythons have a distinctive yellow belly - the main reason I love them actually.

 

[mikey_mike]

View attachment 299317
OK thanks guys,
It seems like I have a new resident in the back yard. The water python came back tonight (& ate yet more rats). With a bit of guidance it was clearly a water python - vivid yellow belly - you can just make it out on this iphone photo.
What is really interesting is the number of small wounds in the pythons back - they don't show up very well in these photos. There weren't as many 2 nights ago. Almost certainly they're bite marks from rats. Just shows the damage that prey can inflict on a large python even in an ambush situation - a very good reason not to let live prey loose in an enclosure with a snake.

 

[Gruni]

Nice find, but the last attatchment failed.

 

[DaReptileBoy]

nice find dude, wish we could find snakes like that here

 

[KimLB]

Nice one!

We've had so many around our place lately Hubby had a run-in with a brown last weekend! We have a resident brown tree snake and after the rain a while back I came across a carpet coming up my interior staircase.

There have been a lot out on the road too.

 

[mikey_mike]

I'll try again.
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- - - Updated - - -


Back again - he / she has been in my chicken coop every 2nd night for the last week. Not fully grown yet - my guess is around 2m long. There's a ridiculous rodent density so its not a hungry snake but I'm a bit curious - does anyone know how likely it is that a water python would eat a large adult chook (Rhode Is Red)?