A group of students were shocked to discover a huge nest of deadly brown snake eggs buried in their school sandpit.
Pupils at a primary school in Laurieton, on the NSW mid-north coast, were gearing up to play in the sandlot when they stumbled upon a startling 12 snake eggs on December 20.
FAWNA volunteers quickly arrived on the scene and removed the nest – and said students were lucky to discover the eggs before Christmas break as they were only two weeks away from hatching.
Pupils at a primary school in Laurieton, on the NSW mid-north coast, were gearing up to play in the sandlot when they stumbled upon a startling 12 unhatched snake eggs (pictured) on December 20
FAWNA volunteers quickly arrived on the scene and removed the nest – and said students were lucky to discover the eggs (pictured) before Christmas break as they were only two weeks away from hatching
‘They were more interested than scared. The staff were very quick to deal with it,’ a Rod Miller, vice president for FAWNA told Daily Mail Australia.
Following several days of thorough digging the volunteers uncovered seven nests with a grand total of 43 brown snake eggs.
Mr Miller said he believed the eggs were only weeks away from hatching and turning the children’s sandlot into a dangerous snake pit.
‘It depends upon the temperature but I felt that they were about two weeks old and they take between 36 to 95 days to hatch,’ he said.
‘There is a possibility that she [the mother] may come back and lay another lot of eggs but we can’t be sure at this stage.’
Mr Miller said he believed the eggs (pictured) were only weeks away from hatching and turning the children’s sandlot into a dangerous snake pit
FAWNA volunteer Yvette Attleir told the Camden Haven Courier that the sandpit was the perfect breeding ground for snake eggs as the sand had been freshly laid.
‘The sand was still fresh and loose and would have provided the perfect place for snakes to regulate the eggs due to the temperature,’ Ms Attleir said.
The school’s playground sits on the edge of a reserve and volunteers believe the eggs could have been laid by up to two brown snakes.
The school’s playground sits on the edge of a reserve and volunteers believe the eggs could have been laid by up to two brown snakes (Stock image)
FAWNA volunteer Yvette Attleir told the Camden Haven Courier that the sandpit was the perfect breeding ground for snake eggs as the sand had been freshly laid (Stock image of brown snake)
When the eggs first hatch the reptiles are already an inch long and are dangerous to humans.
Brown snakes do not guard their eggs after they are laid and the juvenile snakes are completely independent of the mother.
Australian brown snakes have potentially lethal venom but they rarely bite humans unless they feel threatened.