The Reason Why This Snake Looks Like It's Hugging a Loaf of Bread

An Australian snake catcher has revealed what's really going on in a photo that appears to show a python wrapped around a loaf of bread.

Daniel Busstra, who runs a snake-catching business on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, told Newsweek that he was working at a property in Witta, near Maleny, when he spotted a nesting coastal carpet python in the garden of the house next door.

Busstra said he had "jumped at the opportunity" to get a closer look at the snake and its eggs, which were brown in color rather than the usual white.

He took a photo of the python shielding its eggs and posted it to his Facebook page, Snake Catcher Dan, on January 27. The picture quickly attracted attention, as well as multiple comments pointing out that the snake looked like "she's wrapped around freshly baked bread rolls."

Busstra later explained that "the reason for the darker color is because the eggs are more exposed to the elements. Most of the time the mom will lay her eggs in a pile of loose substance—leaves, bark, chips, dirt—and the top will be buried.

"But for whatever reason, this snake chose to lay them out in the open. When I first saw the eggs, I was concerned for their welfare as they are normally white in color."

He carried out some research and learned that because the eggs still looked quite puffy (adding to their bread-like appearance), they were likely healthy.

Busstra, who has 15 years of experience as a snake catcher, told the woman who lived in the Witta house about his discovery and she was happy for the python and eggs to be left in the garden.

This is important because if the mother is relocated away from her eggs, they would need to go into an incubator.

He said: "The resident messaged me about a week later with the news that all the babies had emerged. I was so happy to hear this. They say they still see her cruising around the property. She's very settled and feels really safe there. Very heartwarming for me. "

Coastal carpet pythons are non-venomous and found all over mainland Australia, according to the Queensland Department of Environment and Science. They can grow up to 13 feet in length but most are around 8 feet.

It added: "Female pythons lay up to 20 eggs at a time, which they coil around to guard until they hatch. Once the young emerges from the egg it is independent and looks after itself."

Busstra later told Newsweek: "I absolutely love what I do—educating the public and prioritizing human and snake safety. If there is a way I can ease fear for people so the snake can stay, I will. Other times, due to small kids, pets or the snake being venomous, I relocate it to a safer place."

The advocacy group Land for Wildlife South East Queensland said people who come across snake or other reptile eggs should ideally put them back.

It added: "If you can place them back in the ground where you found them, then do so, but try not to rotate them.

"If you cannot put them back in the ground, place them in a container in the same orientation that you found them. Even cracked eggs may be able to be saved."

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