Snake in the reeds! On Friday afternoon 25 January 2019 we were taking advantage of the overcast day to update photos of our snake proof gaiters at Laratinga Wetlands, Mount Barker, South Australia.

We had just finished taking some photos near the creek bank when we noticed this Red Bellied Black Snake up in the reeds near us! We tried getting a little closer for a better photo and it took off into the reeds.

The Australian Red Bellied Black Snakes are common snake in Eastern Australia often found near water with frogs being one of their favorite food sources. They are not typically an aggressive snake but will defend if cornered or you happen to step on one. Whilst the snake is venomous and can cause significant illness, they are less so than other Australian elapid snakes. You can just see in this photo that the snake has flattened it’s neck as a warning — one of the few Australian snakes to do this.

This snake was a young one perhaps 3 feet in length. The average size is just over 4 feet but they can grow quite large with some recorded at over 2.5 meters (8’4″) in length. If you encounter one stay calm and move away. They will generally retreat away from you. I’ve personally seen quite a large Red Bellied snake retreat into a flowing creek where it remained underwater for some time at Bridgewater in the Adelaide Hills.

Above are some photos at the Laratinga Wetlands of our snake proof gaiters.