Snake ID - Found In My Laundry (townsville)

[Oriolus]

Hi guys,

Came across a beautiful little snake in my laundry this evening. Location is Townsville. Such a beautiful pattern, but not something I've come across in my (limited) experience. Any help gratefully appreciated.

 

[Iguana]

looks like a brown tree snake, (Boiga irregularis), by the eyes, but I could be wrong.

 

[pythoninfinite]

It is a Brown Tree Snake, pretty common along the east coast and across the top, but largely nocturnal, so may be overlooked most of the time. I've seen them a few times during the day curled up in the creepers growing over my sheds, but only because a local family of wrens and a few honeyeaters has discovered the snake and they make a huge & noisy fuss.

Iguana, with all due respect, unless you can be absolutely certain about a snake ID, you should refrain from commenting or offering an opinion, given that a wrong ID could cause a serious problem if you instill a false sense of security where a dangerous snake is misidentified. I believe APS used to have a policy about this.

Jamie

 

[Iguana]

It is a Brown Tree Snake, pretty common along the east coast and across the top, but largely nocturnal, so may be overlooked most of the time. I've seen them a few times during the day curled up in the creepers growing over my sheds, but only because a local family of wrens and a few honeyeaters has discovered the snake and they make a huge & noisy fuss.

Iguana, with all due respect, unless you can be absolutely certain about a snake ID, you should refrain from commenting or offering an opinion, given that a wrong ID could cause a serious problem if you instill a false sense of security where a dangerous snake is misidentified. I believe APS used to have a policy about this.

Jamie

I understand that completely, but I didn't want to use the words 'certain', in case it wasn't by some small chance a brown tree snake. I think people should probably get multiple opinions anyway before going near a snake they don't know.

 

[eipper]

Jamie is spot on. There is to be no guessing on id in the id section.

At the same time in this instance iguana is spot on its a brown tree snake Boiga irregularis

 

[Oriolus]

Thanks guys. Should have figured that one out probably, but those eyes are a field mark I'll remember in the future.

 

[pythoninfinite]

The eyes certainly have it! I found a very small (not sure when they hatch) one on the driveway here one night about a fortnight ago, and its eyes were HUGE when compared with an adult BTS - he was feisty little thing too, didn't like being moved off into the garden.

Jamie

 

[pythoninfinite]

I understand that completely, but I didn't want to use the words 'certain', in case it wasn't by some small chance a brown tree snake. I think people should probably get multiple opinions anyway before going near a snake they don't know.

I'm not sure how multiple opinions do anything but add confusion - surely in cases of potentially dangerous snake identity, there is should be one overriding opinion - the one which correctly identifies the snake. having a dozen people stabbing in the dark so that the enquirer has to take their pick is risky indeed. In this case you were correct, but you weren't really sure. I've seen it three or four times over here where there has been some confusion between Common Keelbacks and Rough-scaled Snakes, and believe me the outcomes would be very different if you were bitten by one or the other. I saw on Facebook just last week someone wondering what the banded snake was in the rainforest leaf litter at the edge of their camp... it was very clearly a Stephen's Banded Snake (rarely hesitate to bite if molested, and one of which caused an adult fatality near Coffs two or three years ago), but at least one commentator suggested it was a Bandy-Bandy.

If a member here is not ABSOLUTELY sure about potentially venomous snake ID, they should (must?) refrain from the "possibly" or "probably" suggestions.

Jamie

 

[Iguana]

I'm not sure how multiple opinions do anything but add confusion - surely in cases of potentially dangerous snake identity, there is should be one overriding opinion - the one which correctly identifies the snake. having a dozen people stabbing in the dark so that the enquirer has to take their pick is risky indeed. In this case you were correct, but you weren't really sure. I've seen it three or four times over here where there has been some confusion between Common Keelbacks and Rough-scaled Snakes, and believe me the outcomes would be very different if you were bitten by one or the other. I saw on Facebook just last week someone wondering what the banded snake was in the rainforest leaf litter at the edge of their camp... it was very clearly a Stephen's Banded Snake (rarely hesitate to bite if molested, and one of which caused an adult fatality near Coffs two or three years ago), but at least one commentator suggested it was a Bandy-Bandy.

If a member here is not ABSOLUTELY sure about potentially venomous snake ID, they should (must?) refrain from the "possibly" or "probably" suggestions.

Jamie

I meant more along the lines of someone IDing the snake, and others either confirming it, or saying what it actually is. If there was to be just one answer, either correct or not, the person asking for the ID may run with it.
My answer wasn't as intended to come across as 'possibly this', or 'possibly that' it was more of, here's what I think it is, but I could by some small chance be wrong.
I have never heard of the ID rule until now, nor seen it enforced on other ID posts where a person may have guessed the species.