Identification For Skin Required If Possible Please?

[Leah123]

Hi

We live on a farm in Northern NSW just below the Border Ranges called Lynchs Creek.

My husband was up in the roof space yesterday and came down with two snake skins and a skeleton! Seems there has been a lot going on up there above our bedroom!!

One is clearly a python skin as you can see the faint diamonds. A quick count of the scales gave me around 40-45.

But the other has a distinctly different belly and no diamonds. The scale count was more like 19.

I am wondering if it might be an Eastern Brown?

I'd like to clarify that possibility, especially as hubby needs to go back up and do more work up in that tight roof space! Perhaps something is "hybernating" up there!??

He doesn't seem bothered, me, different story!

I will post a picture here.

Thanks in advance, Leah

 

[nick_75]

Can you provide a photo of the head end of both sheds? That will make identification easier.

I would be very surprised if you had an eastern brown in your roof, they are a terrestrial species and are found climbing rarely. If found climbing, a roof is out of the question.

 

[GBWhite]

Hi Leah,

The scale count of 40+ definitely indicates a python. Shed in the corner of the photo confirms it.

Just going off the pic of the other shed and a scale count of 19 I'd be inclined to suggest that it belongs to a Brown Tree Snake (mid body scales range from 19 to 23) which are very common in Northern NSW and often find refuge in places like roofs. They are pretty nervous, can get a little toey and won't hesitate to defend themselves if they feel threatened. They are venomous but rear fanged and as such are not considered dangerous. Hubby should be fine if he ventures back up in the roof and comes across it so long as he lets it be...hahaha.

Common Browns have a mid body scale count of 17.

Cheers,

George.

 

[Leah123]

Thanks Nick and GB.

The skins aren't really in tack up towards the head and down towards the tail... But I am thinking you are right with the Brown tree snake, and as you said Nick, browns uncommon in roof spaces etc...

The Brown Tree snake is the same as the "Night Tiger' right??

And would make sense as we were woken up by one of those in our kitchen a few months ago. It just happened to knock a kitchen timer off the stove, otherwise we would not have gotten up to investigate and would have been silent!

So perhaps, (and this is a big guess!) There were two night tigers in the roof (we've seen them in trees close by to house too) the carpet snake had a bit of a battle with them, killed one (thus the appropriate age of the skeleton in the roof we found) and perhaps the other came down from the roof (maybe through bathroom exhaust fan) and was attempting to get out of the house when we caught him??

We always have a pole and cable loop handy around the house and have dragged a few pythons out of the chicken shed a few times, so we got the night tiger out with that.

I have an amazing photo of night tiger and python I managed to catch about 7 years ago in our barn.. again, battle it out for the same space!
I will post below for those interested, it's a pretty amazing pic!