The unseasonable cold spring conditions in some parts of Australia are not only putting a dampener on people, but snakes too.
Key points:
- Frog populations are expected to “explode” after a cool, wet spring
- The same conditions are causing snakes to be less mobile than normal at this time of year
- But snake experts say the increased frog population will also lead to a strong breeding season for snakes
According to snake experts, the cooler and wet conditions are a confusing time for snakes seeking to bathe in the sunshine.
But the unseasonably wet weather across the South East in South Australia has created perfect conditions for frogs, with ecologists expecting a potential frog population explosion.
Frog ecologist Rupert Mathwin said the pools of standing fresh water found across the region, due to late spring rains, was good news for the amphibians.
“I think they are a species that’s very much geared towards taking advantage of these explosive boom periods,” he said.
“So standing fresh water is never really a bad thing when you’re a frog.
“Our hope would be that in about two or three months from now, there would be really large numbers of frogs metamorphosing out of those tadpoles and entering the ecosystem.”
It seems to be working. Local resident Diana Wiseman has been living in Mount Gambier for roughly 42 years and said she had never seen a frog near her house, let alone in it.
“I came home about three weeks ago and heard the bomp bomp,” she said.
“We built the house in 1980 and I’ve never seen one there, but now there are tadpoles and frog spawn in my pond.
“I’ve identified the frog from the call as an eastern banjo frog, and there are tiny tadpoles everywhere!”
Unexpected consequences
Mount Gambier snake catcher and wildlife educator David Miles said he had not received many call-outs to catch snakes this spring because of the cooler weather.
“The lack of sunny days means they can’t warm up and move around,” he said.
But South Australian Museum researcher Mark Hutchinson explained that the cooler weather did not mean snakes were not about.
“You need to be careful as they’ll be out there, just sitting,” Dr Huthcinson said.
“They really can’t run away in these conditions.
“They’ve come out, and it seemed like a good idea and then the sun has gone back in, leaving them sitting there waiting and hoping for the next patch of sun.
“Meanwhile, they’re fairly immobilised so they’ll look as ferocious as they can in order to have you walk around them rather than onto them.”
But while the cooler weather will have left many snakes less mobile, the large number of frogs represents an abundant food source, which will likely lead to a strong breeding season for snakes.
“The non-breeding females and the males will all be delighted by the weather,” Mr Hutchinson said.
“The fact that they can’t move very far doesn’t worry them, because they won’t have to go very far in order to encounter another frog.”
