Snake Identification information and questions

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I nearly stepped on a snake while working a creek yesterday , i thought at first it was a variation of a red bellied black snake because it did have a red belly . however its body was a grey colour almost the same as river rock , not the usual shiney glossy black colour of every other RBB i have seen

i have searched all the snake photos i can find and its none of those

does anyone know if snake species have been cross breeding ?
 
May be red bellied black,but about to she'd it's skin this can make them really greyish just before they shed.
 
Varts said:
May be red bellied black,but about to she'd it's skin this can make them really greyish just before they shed.
Click to expand...

thankyou

that will be it then

if snakes can do a wheelspin then thats what this one did as it took off . as did me :eek:

i went googling for images of RBB's and found this one which confirms it

1390995621_54627158.jpg
 
Varts said:
May be red bellied black,but about to she'd it's skin this can make them really greyish just before they shed.
Click to expand...

Agree about to shed, some lizards I've seen do the same
 
i got slackadaisical and stepped down into the creekbed without looking first , my foot landed 3 feet away from the snake and it went beserk to get away from me as i scrambled back out of its way , it disappeared under a rock 6 feet away and i didnt see it again.

i went through the scenario in my mind afterwards , what if it had bitten me , yes my ute was only 40 feet away , yes i had a setopress bandage in the ute , and yes i even had mobile phone coverage there.

It was a good reminder though to look before you leap

at least the RBB is easy to spot , Death Adders however camouflage very well and they dont move until they choose to strike :/
 
HeadsUp said:
i got slackadaisical and stepped down into the creekbed without looking first , my foot landed 3 feet away from the snake and it went beserk to get away from me as i scrambled back out of its way , it disappeared under a rock 6 feet away and i didnt see it again.

i went through the scenario in my mind afterwards , what if it had bitten me , yes my ute was only 40 feet away , yes i had a setopress bandage in the ute , and yes i even had mobile phone coverage there.

It was a good reminder though to look before you leap

at least the RBB is easy to spot , Death Adders however camouflage very well and they dont move until they choose to strike :/
Click to expand...

Did you have the pump running? I find that the vibration of the pump keeps them away. Or can use a snake vibrating reppeler in the area you're working.
 
joe said:
HeadsUp said:
i got slackadaisical and stepped down into the creekbed without looking first , my foot landed 3 feet away from the snake and it went beserk to get away from me as i scrambled back out of its way , it disappeared under a rock 6 feet away and i didnt see it again.

i went through the scenario in my mind afterwards , what if it had bitten me , yes my ute was only 40 feet away , yes i had a setopress bandage in the ute , and yes i even had mobile phone coverage there.

It was a good reminder though to look before you leap

at least the RBB is easy to spot , Death Adders however camouflage very well and they dont move until they choose to strike :/
Click to expand...

Did you have the pump running? I find that the vibration of the pump keeps them away. Or can use a snake vibrating repeller in the area you're working.
Click to expand...

nope . i had just arrived at that spot , the only noise i made was putting my plastic bucket down on the ledge as i stepped down which is probably why the snake seemed so startled too

the poor little thing probably has ulcers now :rolleyes:
 
HeadsUp said:
joe said:
HeadsUp said:
i got slackadaisical and stepped down into the creekbed without looking first , my foot landed 3 feet away from the snake and it went beserk to get away from me as i scrambled back out of its way , it disappeared under a rock 6 feet away and i didnt see it again.

i went through the scenario in my mind afterwards , what if it had bitten me , yes my ute was only 40 feet away , yes i had a setopress bandage in the ute , and yes i even had mobile phone coverage there.

It was a good reminder though to look before you leap

at least the RBB is easy to spot , Death Adders however camouflage very well and they dont move until they choose to strike :/
Click to expand...

Did you have the pump running? I find that the vibration of the pump keeps them away. Or can use a snake vibrating repeller in the area you're working.
Click to expand...

nope . i had just arrived at that spot , the only noise i made was putting my plastic bucket down on the ledge as i stepped down which is probably why the snake seemed so startled too

the poor little thing probably has ulcers now :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Never mind the ulcers on that thing :) even though there're docile and keep to them selfs putting your foot on its tail ( luckily not ) would give me more than ulcers.
 
I think the key is when walking through bush is not to sneak through but walk heavily, the more noise the better. Red bellied blacks are hard to stir unless their hungry, mating or in your case, stepped on.
:) Mick
 
Snakes are definitely on the prowl for water, so creek beds are where they are going to be at the moment with the lack of water and dry spell we are having.

I saw a Tiger Snake a few weeks back whilst working outside of Daylesford, Brown Snake (bloody fast - I had no idea they moved that quick) on Monday whilst working another creek. Later in the day after I had left, Ron a fellow prospecting buddy, saw a large RBB sunning himself...

Take care out in the field guys, keep your eyes open and don't tread on one!!!
 
I've stood on a couple of black snakes now, they still can't do enough to get the hell away haha!
 
HeadsUp that was lucky. Great that was the end of the encounter.
RBB don't mind the water & hang around creeks for food. I've seen them and browns swim in the Shoalhaven.
Thick gloves & cuddling a big rock, everything else exposed, maybe lots of noise and a lever when your concerned. No easy answer.
 
slowflow said:
HeadsUp that was lucky. Great that was the end of the encounter.
RBB don't mind the water & hang around creeks for food. I've seen them and browns swim in the Shoalhaven.
Thick gloves & cuddling a big rock, everything else exposed, maybe lots of noise and a lever when your concerned. No easy answer.
Click to expand...

yeah well its either wear gloves and leg gaitors or paint my hands and legs with rock coloured paint to stop them biting those parts

as you say , no easy answer , just do all the safety measures we know of for prevention , response and treatment
 

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