SUNSHINE COAST DAILY (Australia) 04 October 10 Sexy snakes tumble for love (Anne-Louise Brown)
Swept away in throes of passion the infatuated couple managed to roll off a roof, fall 10 metres and continue their public display of lovemaking for an hour after hitting the ground.
It was slippery and it was twisty.
It was sex, snake style.
On Saturday, 17-year-old Georgia Lindley was lazing by the pool of her Buderim home with her mates when two unwelcome, and exceptionally amorous, visitors dropped in.
The girls noticed a long, large mass drop from the roof followed by a long thud.
Upon investigation they discovered two coastal pythons getting sexy – and nothing was going to stop them.
“We all ran upstairs screaming because we’re terrified of snakes,” Georgia said.
“They stayed there and kept doing it for an hour.
“When they stopped, one climbed back on to the roof and another tried to escape down the driveway.”
While the snakes were getting intimate, Georgia’s dad, Matthew Lindley, called local snake catcher William Pledger and grabbed a pool net in a bid to keep the snakes from leaving the yard.
“We were all stressing out until the snake catcher arrived, but he managed to catch them both,” Georgia said.
“We weren’t sure what they were and thought they could be venomous, until the snake catcher told us they were pythons.
“I just hope they haven’t mated already, because he said they could lay up to 54 eggs. I don’t want little snakes slithering around everywhere.”
Mr Pledger, who has been catching snakes for more than a decade, said it was the time of year for serpents to wake from their winter slumber and get ready to mate.
He said increased activity meant it was more likely the paths of humans and snakes would cross.
“The most important thing to remember is not to approach a snake. Just walk away,” Mr Pledger said.
“It’s not uncommon to see snakes mating and males fighting for dominance at this time of year.
“Just employ commonsense and leave the snakes be, or if you’re really worried call a snake catcher.”
According to the Department of Environment and Resource Management, snakes are attracted to yards and houses where food and shelter are unknowingly provided by humans.
Many snakes, including venomous taipans and eastern browns, eat rodents and are attracted to garden or farm sheds to hunt rats and mice.
Pythons regularly enter chicken pens and aviaries to prey on birds and are also found in roof cavities, hunting for rats and possums.
Brown tree snakes are specialists at invading aviaries, often becoming trapped inside after they have eaten a bird.
These snakes can also be found at night hunting for geckos.
Common tree snakes hunt frogs during the day and are often seen around the house and garden where frogs live.
To deter snakes, maintain a tidy yard with shrubs and gardens kept away from the house.
Sexy snakes tumble for love