In a tangle

The Red-bellied Black Snakes have been very active, with the large one sighted every warm day  and a smaller one has been seen in the last few days. Today we found the reason why, as they were found in a tight tangle below the verandah, spending an hour or so mating. Not sure which is male or female, although the larger seemed most active whilst the smaller remained tightly coiled.

Black is black

Yesterday's very hot weather was enough to get our resident (lives directly below our verandah) Red-bellied Black Snake Pseudechis porphyriacus on the move and today it was sunbathing just outside its hole (tail still just inside).

 

Although quite poisonous and has caused human deaths they are actually quite a timid snake and will quickly retreat when chanced upon . A diurnal species  which grows to around 2m, is often found around waterways, dams and swampy locations where frogs, insects and small mammals are its prey. The red belly can vary from a pink through to a deep red but no red was on show with our character as it was flattened out to get maximum sun exposure.