Some snakes such as eastern brown snakes are active during the day, others prefer to hunt in the evening, while some species are more active at night during the hotter months.
Brown Tree Snakes, which are also a coppery colour, usually hunt at night, often climb trees, and have a slender neck with a distinct head. Like most other snakes, the Eastern Brown will avoid a confrontation with a large animal such as a person, fleeing rapidly towards shelter instead.
Small-eyed snake (Cryptophis nigrescens)
Also called the eastern small-eyed snake. This snake lives in wooded areas, where is hunts small reptiles or frogs at night. The body is slender and usually black or greyish brown. The average length is around 0.5m, with a maximum of 1.2m.
Snakes are at their most active when it's cool out. They move around most in the early morning and around dusk.
In summer, snakes, including venomous species such as tiger snakes and brown snakes, are typically more active very early in the morning, late in the evening, or during the night when temperatures are not too high for them.
"Including the brown, tiger, black, taipan, death adder and certain sea snakes and all these snakes are found in Queensland," Mr Farry said. "Most Australian snake bites are associated with minimal local pain and bite marks can be easily missed."
Snakes can be found all over Australia, not only in the Outback. However, you will hardly see them. On all my trips I only saw a few snakes and I nearly stepped on one when I was walking along the Eyre Highway, see the picture above (at least I thought it was a snake at that time). But this won't happen every day.
Avoid wandering around in the dark. If you are out at night, always use a flashlight, because most snakes are active on warm nights. Never try to pick up a snake, even if it is dead. A snake's reflexes can still cause the snake to strike up to an hour after it has died.
Research has shown that cinnamon oil, clove oil, and eugenol are effective snake repellents. Snakes will retreat when sprayed directly with these oils and will exit cargo or other confined spaces when these oils are introduced to the area.
Snakes like to warm their bodies in the sunshine. Hiking in the evening or early in the morning helps you avoid their favorite part of the day.
80% of Western Australia falls into the desert or semi-arid climate section meaning that it receives no more than a foot of rainfall all year long. The soil is not rich in nutrients and over half of the days are sunny with no clouds. There is a large variety of snakes in this area.
It's rare for Australian snakes to strike. It's even more uncommon for the fangs to penetrate clothing and the skin.
In Australia, snakes sometimes slither into suburban backyards and homes. When the weather gets warm, they lounge in the sun.
Yes, rattlesnakes do come out at night. In fact, because of their heat sensing organs, they can see just as well at night as they can during the day.
Snake season in Australia - September to April. When the weather warms up and spring arrives, we begin to see snakes emerge from their brumate period. Brumation, which is a form of dormancy in reptiles, it is similar to hibernation.
Do Dogs Keep Snakes Away? Yes, big dogs especially can be a deterrent to snakes. They bark loudly and are much larger than snakes, so they will typically choose to stay away.
Ammonia is a common snake repellent. Snakes hate the smell of ammonia and won't come near it. Soak rags in ammonia and place them in unsealed plastic bags. Leave the bags where you usually see snakes to keep them away.
Some common examples include marigolds, lemongrass, and wormwood. Foxes and raccoons are common predators of snakes. Guinea hens, turkeys, pigs, and cats will also help keep snakes away. If foxes are indigenous to your area, fox urine is a very good natural repellent for snakes when spread around your property.
Use Natural Predators
Snakes have a few natural predators that can help keep them away. Common snake predators include cats, raccoons, pigs, turkeys, guinea hens, and foxes. Keeping any of these animals around your home will help deter snakes from coming near.
Avoid nighttime trail running.
Snakes also hunt at night. Their heat sensors allow them to detect pray unseen this way. You don't want to step in between a snake and its dinner. However, if you must run at night, run with both a buddy and a headlamp.
Humans are not prey and snakes tend to detect them by the mechanisms above and will mostly move out of the way if possible. If one is cornered however or inadvertently trodden on or rolled on in sleep it may bite defensively.
Primates, including humans, are able to quickly detect snakes. Some studies have found that humans can detect snake images before subjective visual perception. However, the pre-conscious detection of snake stimuli is still under debate by the scientific community.
Though it might seem difficult, one of the most important (and often-repeated) pieces of advice when spotting a snake is to remain calm. Stay still, don't panic and try to move slowly away.