Common Death Adder

Notes:

This is probably one of the coolest snakes we've ever had in care. Death adders are rarely seen, so when we received a call for a death adder under a hedge in a yard just a few k's from our house we figured it was probably a poor blue-tongue lizard with a case of mistaken identity. Well, what a thrill to discover it actually WAS a death adder! Snake catchers from three different organisations turned up to get a piece of death adder action, but my husband and I were there first so it was ours!!! Catching it was a challenge. Common death adders are ambush predators who will lie still for days waiting for prey to pass (they attempt to entice prey with their skinny wiggly tail). They are also one of the most venomous land snakes in Australia, and despite rarely growing to more than a metre long, they possess the longest fangs of any Australian snake. Their strike is extremely fast (one reptile carer told us that a death adder can bite you five times before you even REALISE you've been bitten) and, unlike most other venomous Australian snakes, you can't catch them by the tail because they are strong enough (and short enough) to whip around and get you. So it was pretty nerve-wracking dealing with this thing. (Direct quote from my husband: "You stand on the other side of the hedge and I'll try and scare it out from this side. You tell me where it comes out!" Should I have married this man??) Anyway, my husband finally managed to wrangle it into his snake bag, and we took it home to observe for a couple of days, take some photos and make sure it was well. It seemed to be fine and showed no signs of injury or illness, so we let it go in the bush close to where it was found (but not too close).