- A farmer in rural Victoria has captured a brown snake eating a black snake
- John Northey was talking his dogs for a walk when he saw the reptiles
- Mr Northey said snakes were common on his property but this sight was rare
A farmer in north-eastern Victoria has captured the moment he stumbled upon a brown snake eating a black snake.
John Northey was taking his dogs for a walk on his Bethanga property on Thursday when he came across the rare sight.
The farmer said snakes were common on the property but he had never seen such a scene.
Victorian farmer John Northey was taking his dogs for a walk on his property when he saw a brown snake eating a black snake
Mr Northey said he came across the reptiles as the brown snake was halfway through eating the black snake
‘He was halfway through it by the look of it,’ Mr Northey told told The Courier.
‘But I couldn’t tell you how long the other half was.
‘I just thought it was something different, something you don’t see everyday.’
Mr Northey said he kept his dogs and himself away from the snake, but the reptile only had eyes for its meal.
‘I just thought it was something different, something you don’t see everyday,’ Mr Northey said
Senior Scientist from the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Nick Clemann said snakes were coming out of their winter hibernation earlier, due to the warmer weather.
‘Snakes are more common around the urban fringe or in rural parts of Victoria, but they can also be found close to cities and towns, particularly around watercourses and parkland,’ Mr Clemann said.
‘Tiger Snakes and Lowland Copperheads are the most frequently encountered snakes near the coast, while Eastern Brown Snakes are more common in drier areas. In some areas Red-bellied Black Snakes are also common.
‘It is rare for these snakes to bite people, however they are all dangerously venomous.’