A snake-catcher in Adelaide made a grim discovery this week: a red-bellied black snake cooked to death in the city's intense heatwave. Temperatures soared above 40C, proving too much for the reptile, which was found lifeless in a residential backyard.
An Adelaide snake-catcher has encountered a chilling first in his career—a red-bellied black snake found baked to death in the intense heatwave that gripped the city this week. Rolly Burrell, owner of Snake Catchers Adelaide, was summoned on Wednesday to a residence in the southern suburb of Willunga. The homeowner reported observing the snake moving erratically between bushes. When Burrell arrived, the snake was motionless.
'A lady called us out saying there was a red belly under a bush and that she saw it move from one bush to the other bush, which was probably about a couple of meters,' Burrell explained. 'I got there in about 40 minutes because we were pretty hammered, and when I got there, it was dead —it was air-fried.' Burrell attributed the snake's death to the extreme heat, stressing that snakes are highly vulnerable to temperatures exceeding their tolerance. 'They can only handle about 33C, 35C max, and once it goes past that, they usually haemorrhage a lot of blood within three or four minutes,' he stated. 'When it was 43C it just dried out so fast. I mean, you could have cooked eggs and bacon on the footpath. 'But that's the first time I've seen that in 40 years.' He noted that snakes often seek refuge in cooler, drier locations during scorching weather, particularly when residential air conditioners create inviting drafts. 'During the hot weather, there are a lot of snakes trying to find cooler spots,' Burrell said. 'We get so many callouts with snakes in people's houses because (the snakes) don't realize how hot it's going to be that day and they go out for a little adventure. and they get caught in the hot weather. 'If there are some airconditioners going on in houses, the air blows under the door so the snakes go in to cool off.' According to Australian National Geographic, the red-bellied black snake is ranked as the 10th most dangerous snake in Australia. Its venom can cause blood-clotting disorders, muscle and nerve damage if a bite occurs. Anyone bitten by a red-bellied black snake should seek immediate medical attention
HEATWAVE SNAKES ADELAIDE AUSTRALIA RED-BELLIED BLACK SNAKE VENOM DANGEROUS SPECIES HOME INVASIONS CLIMATE CHANGE
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