Browns Will Suffer the Drought

A SMALL silver lining with the drought is it will impact on the brown snake population.

According to snake catcher Judy Martin, brown snakes need water for their eggs and the female does not get access to water the eggs will die.

“Snakes do not breed every year, so they often skip a year and breed the following year depending on their condition,” said Ms Martin.

“The male browns are out September until November looking to breed and then the female around January will lay eggs and she will lay them near water,” she said.

“So she can go tot he water collect it in her scales, come back and keep the eggs moist,” she said.

“Now one good thing about being in drought is there is not a lot of water around so a lot of their eggs will dehydrate and die,” she said.

:With a black it’s a bit different she has live and holds them in there until she is ready to deliver,” Judy Martin said.

An old bush saying that ‘if you have blacks around you won’t have browns’ has some truth to it.

“You won’t have as many,” said Ms Martin.

“During winter when they are not eating blacks and browns will curl up together, but when it is time to eat from September through until March they are fair game,” she said.

“If a black snake comes up against a brown and he’s hungry it’s gone,” she said.

“Black snakes trump brown, but their venom is not as toxic as an eastern brown (to humans),” she said.

“But there is just something in the black’s venom that knocks browns over,” she said.

“In the centre of Australia there is a black headed python and it eats death adders, it is fascinating,” Judy Martin said.

Related stories:

• Snake Catcher Says Get Ready – October 2, 2018.
• Snake Bite Warning – January 11, 2018.
• Snakes Out in Force – October 21, 2016.