Noosa snake catcher Luke Huntley knows the area like the back of his hand, and with snake breeding season beginning, he’s letting the community know what to watch out for.
Luke said snakes breed for three months of the year throughout spring.
“The girls ovulate (they put a smell into the air that brings the boys to them to mate with her),” he said.
“If multiple boys get to her at the same time then they fight over her and the winner gets to mate with her. So you’ll see a lot of male snakes out and about finding where the girls are hiding waiting for them. Once she falls gravid (pregnant) she will stop ovulating and the boys will stop looking for her. This will all slow down towards Christmas time as the breeding season ends.
“During Springtime you will mostly see boys out on the move. The females will tend to stay in one spot and go in and out of where they are currently living to get some sun while the boys come to her. It’s a pretty ‘cruisy’ life for a female snake this time of year.”
He said there’s a simple way to tell the difference between mating and fighting.
“Fighting is fast and often looks pretty violent as you might expect. Heads are often up off the ground and they can be out in the open not caring what’s happening around them, they will be intertwined with each other. The males try to push each other to the ground.
“Snakes mating is very slow and gentle, they lay next to each other and often in a sheltered spot and their heads are down on the ground. These two are very different to see.”
So what do you do when you see a snake?
“First off, don’t panic,” Luke said.
“It’s entirely up to you what you want to do. You can leave the snake to do their thing, make sure kids and pets are well away and give the snake space to move on.
“A lot of people prefer it if they’re not on their property, if you don’t want it around your pets or family or just don’t want it around please do call me and the team and we’ll take it away for you.
“There are plenty of reasons not to want a snake around. You can call me and the boys on 0499920290. We have you covered 24/7 and are genuinely local and in the area. So keep an eye out folks and cold blooded mates are on the move again.”
