Peeved Python...

[Jorlcrin]

Driving out around looking for Hot Pork Friday Arvo..

Came upon a Black-Headed Python crossing the road, and we stopped so my mate could get some photos of it.
We have a LOT of these guys around, and at least 3 or 4 live in around the homestead.
Some of the bigger ones can be 4 metres in length, though this one was only around 2 metres total.
But a BIG lad; nonetheless...
Most of the time, they are quite placid, though often inquisitive enough to come and check you over..
About the only exception I've seen was last year, when I came across 2 fighting over a girlfriend, and the winner seemed to blame me because Mrs Pyfie had got bored and wandered off..

This one, though, he was mightily peeved with us, and let us know about it.
Hissing like a tea-kettle, he came back over to the Landcruiser at speed, reared up to the strike position, and was constantly hissing and jerking his view onto each of us.
Given how we hadnt done anything to him, I found all the accusations he was throwing around, a bit hurtful.
I've never seen the full-aggro display like this from one of these guys; more aggro than I've ever seen in a King Brown!
He actually struck at me maybe 15-20 times, and at one stage, I thought my Landcruiser was going to be car-jacked by an angry pyfon...
[Regretting leaving the doors open at that point..]
You can see in the photo, his mid-section is arched to give him the bracing to launch his strike.
None of this 'making a guarded retreat' crap for Pyfie; he was in our faces, and reading us the riot act..
I had a poly waddy-stick in the ute that I use for stockwork, and so was gently deflecting Pyfie each time he struck, but also directing him towards the grass at the edge of the road.
But it took some convincing, and he came back about 4 times before we saw the last of him.
Throat was distended like I've seen goannas do when hissing, and I'd swear the inside of his mouth(which I got to see multiple times up close..) was a light blue in colour.

Amazing; thought I was going to need to add a chapter to my book 'Things that have bitten me in this life'..

Thrilled to have had such an encounter, but a bit hurt that he was so critical of my existence..

[Flyonline]

Cool! Never seen one other than holding a pet that got brought in for biology at uni.

Nature is waaaay more interesting than anything that happens on a screen.

[Bugman]

Good, interesting post. I don't think I would like to get up close and personal with one...........or any snake for that matter.

[Oldbloke]

Thx jorlcrin. Never seen one of them.

[Jorlcrin]

One of the gent last year who was narked for stealing his girlfriend..

This gent was one of 2 who were about 2.75 metres long that were fighting, with a smaller one watching on nearby(suspect it was the elusive girlfriend..)

This pic was just when he noticed me taking pics, and came over to give me a right royal hithing..

From what I've seen in having these snakes around most of my life, they are mostly quite benign, and placid.
But they dont seem to be prepared to take no hith from anyone..

[Lazarus]

I saw this the other day.
I suppose protein is protein.
Probably pretty easy to muster too


https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-19/ ... /103603328

[Wm.Traynor]

Given the circumstances Jorlcrin, that is a very good pic, if not downright bloody daring

[Oldbloke]

I saw this the other day.
I suppose protein is protein.
Probably pretty easy to muster too


https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-19/ ... /103603328

I have no issue eating snake.

But what happens if a couple escape into the environment?

Major issue in USA.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/14/us/p ... ecies.html

[Lazarus]

I saw this the other day.
I suppose protein is protein.
Probably pretty easy to muster too


https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-19/ ... /103603328

I have no issue eating snake.

But what happens if a couple escape into the environment?

Major issue in USA.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/14/us/p ... ecies.html

Good point.

Bit harder to track than a steer

[Oldbloke]

Didn't European carp escape from a fish farm when there was a flood in northern Vic?

Just saying any snake farm would need to be strictly managed and regularly monitored.

[bigrich]

Good, interesting post. I don't think I would like to get up close and personal with one...........or any snake for that matter.

yeah , i'm wary of snakes out bush . i came across one of these black headed pythons on a cattle station up at arcadia valley QLD . about 200k's north east of roma . magic country . the one i came across was as long as my 120 series prado . the station hands had pics of them holding pythons well over 3m they had to move . generally placid i've been told . wonder why the python in this post was agressive . do pythons have their version of "the roar "

[Jorlcrin]

We encounter one of these almost weekly these days, and the past 4 or 5 encounters I've had myself, were in/around the homestead yard.
There has been at least one clutch of eggs hatched out in the old (partially buried) ceramic laundry grey-water drain in the past 4 years.
I'd guess that between myself and my overseer, we maybe have 50-odd encounters each year with Black-Headed Pythons?

I've even met one(~3 metres) trying to get into the house one time, and it was quite placid about me getting some close-up pics of it.

Of all of those encounters, this is only one of 2 encounters where they were aggressive, and for no obvious reason.
[And the previous encounter, I suspect he was accusing me of stealing his girl..]

We USED to get a lot of King Brown/Mulga snakes, which arent easy to live around safely.
The arrival of Cane Toads knocked both the Yellow-Spotted Goanna and the King Brown Populations around; likely because they both were partial to a bit of frog.
But I've since heard the BH Pythons are also likely keeping the King Brown population down, as they will kill/eat them.
I also read that the BH Python is one of 2 predators of the Inland Taipan/Fierce Snake; they are apparently immune to the venom?
[Another source suggested immune to most terrestrial Australian snake venom...]
Amazing if true...

Overall, I am much more comfortable living with Black-Headed Pythons than more bitey snakes, but I'm still scratching my head why this one was so freaking angry with us.
One idea is he'd recently had an encounter with wild dogs, which are one of the few predators.
It might explain why he was aggro from our first meeting.

A fully grown one is often nudging 4 metres in length, which is a big snake.
And thinking about it, you'd get a pretty decent amount of meat off one.
If the idea was to farm pythons, then these guys might be a viable option, and native to the northern third of Australia to boot.

[bigpete]

Thats pretty cool. Snakes are awesome

[Oldbloke]

I like snakes too. They have their place.

[Wm.Traynor]

I like snakes too. They have their place.

NIMBY, OB