Can You Spot the 2-Foot-Long Snake Hiding in the Grass?
A snake catcher in Australia has challenged people online to spot a snake hidden in a photo.
Snake catcher Drew Godfrey, of Hervey Bay Snake Catchers, shared a photo that appeared at first to show nothing except a few planks of wood and some grass. Godfrey insisted that a 27.5-inch-long keelback snake was lurking somewhere in the picture, although it might be difficult to see at first.
While the keelback has a distinctive pattern, it uses its coloring to blend in with its surroundings.
According to Queensland's Department of Environment and Science, keelbacks are Australia's only non-venomous semi-aquatic snake.
"They are a small snake growing to 1m [3.2 feet] at the most, but most adults range from 50-75 cm [19-29.5 inches]," the department added. "They are grey to olive-brown or black in color, with an indistinct banded pattern."
The Australian keelback's belly is typically a cream color with narrow dark bands highlighting the edges of each broad ventral scale.
While some people might be shocked to come across the snake in their yard, Godfrey said they were relatively harmless and were actually beneficial to the country's biodiversity.
"Having a keelback in your back yard is a good thing and a lot of people welcome them as they are nonvenomous so they're harmless," Godfrey said. "They can also eat the cane toad which are a toxic animal that are introduced from South America and cause havoc on Australian biodiversity.
"Because they're toxic, native animals die when they eat them. The keelback is the only native Australian animal that can actually consume a cane toad. Because we have a lot of toads in Hervey Bay, people that know what keelbacks are, are happy to have them."
Godfrey said he has been "obsessed" with snakes since he was young and added that the Facebook post was aimed to educate people about snakes in a fun way.
"I have been obsessed with snakes and wildlife since a small child but I've been working as a professional snake catcher for 5 years," he said. "Our purpose for the post is to inform, but we like to make it entertaining. It's also to promote our business to the local community so they can call us if they get a snake."
According to the Queensland government, keelbacks prefer damp areas and are commonly found near freshwater, such as dams, creeks and swamps, as well as close to gum forests and inner-city suburban creeks.
They are found in northern and eastern Queensland, Western Australia and northeast New South Wales.
