Oh, the noises the frog is making... it's been going on for about an hour (which apparently is sort of a good thing since it means the snake isnt poisonous or the frog would have been dead an hour ago)... it's a heartbreaking wail... sort of like the sound they make when they get mutilated by the airconditioner and refuse to die quietly!!!!!
I called the Wildlife carer people because they put you on to whoever is the on-call snake man (or woman here) but she said if it's out at night in the cold and the rain it's probably going to be a tree snake not an eastern brown (they are bad ones, really, really bad ones), and it's not doing itself any favours by eating when it's this cold.
First I called mum to see if I should call the wildlife carers. She was asking me all sorts of questions about the shape of it's head and the type of neck it has. How was I supposed to tell. IT HAS A FROG HALF WAY DOWN IT'S NECK!!!!
so here it is... and also a shot of how close it is to the sandpit which is why I was freaking out.
Can you see it??? it's there just behind the strappy leaves.
It's about 60cm long.
AND HAS A FROG IN IT'S MOUTH!!!!!Okay grandma get out that Tropical Wildlife book and identify it! And I only want to know if it's a "good" one.
I thought snakes always swallowed their prey head first! (Except for in the song I'm being swallowed by a boa constrictor) No wonder the poor frog was making such terrible noises. I don't blame you for not wanting to rescue the frog - but Wolf could have attempted it. I mean, what harm could a 60cm non poisonous snake do to a big man? Especially when it has a huge frog 1/4 way down it's throat?
ReplyDeleteHey!, It was wet, dark and I'm sure he had a big brother waiting in the grass. They may be non-poisonous but you will know it if they bite you, it's very unpleasent experience. Anyway it wouldn't be 'a 60cm non poisonous snake with a huge frog 1/4 way down it's throat' if I rescued the frog, it would be 'a very angry, spiteful 60cm long non-poisonous who has just been releaved of his dinner, and willing to try being poisonous by biting said rescuer.'
ReplyDeleteAnd besides I had my pj's on, maybe if I had my kahki's on I would have tried the 'CRIKEY! look at that little fella! You don't see many of them around these days. Come 'ere, come on... ahhh got cha! Wot a beauty!' routine.
I've just been reading your blog, and am not happy with those photos and comments. Why couldn't you take a picture of my better side?
ReplyDeleteJust to educate you people here is a little bit about me and my family.
The brown tree snake is very distinctive because of its large head with bulging eyes and its long slender body. Lengths in excess of 2 metres have been recorded, though 1.5-1.8 metres is a more common size. The colouration is usually a medium brown background with a series of darker markings or bands. Some northern specimens are strikingly banded with rich reddish-brown and creamy-white and are sometimes called 'night tigers'.
Brown tree snakes are notorious for their bad temper and will strike repeatedly if they feel threatened. They are venomous but the fangs are at the back of the mouth so only a very large snake would be able to inject venom into a human. For this reason they are not regarded as being dangerous.
And I would have become very bad tempered if you took my dinner from me, just as well you let me be.
BTW I would have though it was gross too if I had come across you with your mouth full of cow or pizza.
Gross!! That poor little froggy!!
ReplyDeleteWow! What a picture. I'm sorry you had to go through that!
ReplyDelete