Despite being no stranger to the strange behaviour of reptiles, one snake catcher was baffled to observe a juvenile snake curl itself right into a ball whereas its siblings scrambled away after being launched into the wild.
Mathew Hampton was releasing 20 juvenile carpet pythons into bush close to Sanford, Queensland and noticed one specifically — barely 15 centimetres in size — curl into itself.
“Most of them slip off straightaway, some have been climbing up timber, some have been simply burrowing into the leaves, however that one simply sat there and curled up right into a ball,” the reptile knowledgeable instructed Yahoo News Australia.
The snake was one-week-old and was being launched by Hampton after his good friend, a fellow snake catcher, had helped them to incubate. He defined why it was necessary to attend per week earlier than releasing snakes into the wild.
“Baby snakes shed their pores and skin throughout the first few days of being out of the egg so should you launch them earlier than that they are slightly bit compromised,” he mentioned.
Why did the snake curl right into a ball
Other snake species are recognized to behave this technique to defend themselves, however Hampton admitted that is the primary time he has seen a coastal python do that.
“Snakes all over the world are recognized to curve up right into a ball to keep away from predators when they’re disturbed, they tighten in on themselves … This one was most likely slightly frightened of me,” he mentioned. “They hold the pinnacle within the center and mainly simply attempt to defend themselves.”
Coastal pythons can stay as much as 10 years within the wild and stay principally in southeast Queensland.
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