Daintree Region Guide

Snakes

Snakes, this word sends shivers up the spines of a lot of people and most think of the venomous species, there are four main ones found in the Daintree, the Taipan, the Eastern Brown, the Death Adder and the Red-bellied Black. All of these snakes are dangerous to man and should be avoided at all times. If one does encounter a snake just walk slowly away in the other direction.

Most of the snakes seen in the Rainforest are harmless though some do obtain very large lengths. The Amethystine Python, also commonly called the Scrub Python, can often be seen sun baking in the tree tops. This large python has been know to grow to 6 metres but normally between 3.5 to 4 metres is average length.

The Carpet Python also can be found and its colour varies a lot, the Jungle Carpet is a very striking colour being black with bright yellow markings. Water Pythons, Spotted Pythons, Slatey Grey Snakes, Freshwater Snakes, Tree Snakes, can also be observed just to name a few.

Winter enhances your chances of seeing snakes as they seek out open, sunny areas. However, they are usually trying to get away from you, so simple awareness is the key to avoiding contact with snakes.

Extract from Article written by Tony Gordon, curator of Daintree Mangroves Wildlife Sanctuary.

Information kindly supplied by:

Daintree Village Tourism Association
www.daintreevillage.asn.au
The Daintree Village Tourism Association is a voluntary body comprising tourism operators and service providers within the travel industry operating between the Daintree River and the Mossman River north of Cairns in Tropical North Queensland.