Nude Snake Wrangling!

The Sunday sauna crew were only just coming to terms with the fox massacre when the cry went up. "SNAKE!" - and yes, it was true. The cats had dragged a live snake inside the house and it was having a hell of a time trying to negotiate the smooth polishe wood floors.

"Baggage" was quite a sight... wrestling it to the floor ...Mind you, it was smallish. Brown and with the most unusual band of cream around its neck. At first the consensus was that it was a baby brown snake. But the neck band was unusual. Maybe a crown snake?

We did some instant research:

Golden-crowned Snake

Cacophis squamulosus
Family Elapidae

The Golden-crowned Snake is a small nocturnal, terrestrial species that is sometimes encountered on warm nights in suburban areas. Domestic cats may bring one inside and cause some alarm. However, it is not considered to be a dangerous snake.

Habitat and Distribution
The Golden-crowned Snake is found on the east coast and adjacent ranges, from central New South Wales to south-eastern Queensland, preferring deep forest in the north of its range. In the south, it can be found in sandstone areas, being more common in the northern parts of Sydney.

A related species is the Dwarf Crowned Snake, Cacophis krefftii, which is much smaller (25 cm), with a dark-grey to black body and a cream to yellow hood over the nape of its neck. This species ranges from the central coast of New South Wales to south-eastern Queensland, and does not occur in Sydney. It is very secretive, with similar nocturnal habits to the Golden-crowned Snake, preferring wet forest areas. It is venomous but rarely tries to bite.

Identification
The Golden-crowned Snake is brown to grey above and pink below, with a yellowish crown-shaped marking on the head which gives it its name. The pupils are vertically elliptical. The average length is 50 cm, with a maximum length of 75 cm.

Habits, Mating and Reproduction
The Golden-crowned Snake reproduces by laying 2 - 15 eggs, with an average clutch of about six. The eggs are laid in January and hatch in March. Pregnant females have been observed lying on warm roads at night, possibly to assist in egg incubation. The young measure about 16 cm in total length at birth.

During the day, the Golden-crowned Snake shelters under stones, logs and leaf litter, emerging at night to feed. It searches for sleeping lizards by scent, taking them from their night-time retreats. It may also eat frogs and blind snakes.

Toxicity
The Golden-crowned Snake is venomous, but not considered dangerous. When cornered, these snakes flatten their heads, arch the neck strongly and make a series of striking movements with a closed mouth, but rarely actually bite.

BUT THE AMAZING THING WAS OUR DEAR FRIEND "BAGGAGE"... She was stark naked at the time and in the midst of the primal fear reaction of a majority of the other naked onlookers - she ran inside and scooped the little snake up and placed it in a jar. As Baggage lives in the bush, she intends to release it on her ten acres.


Thanks Baggage!

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