There is no question about Australia's diverse wildlife; in some cases, animals invade human territory to let them know of their presence. That is the case on a golf course, but the venomous snake seemed to have no bad intentions and only took refuge due to the extreme heat.
Venomous Snakes Hides at a Golf Course's Cup
The golfers at The Coast Golf and Recreation Club on the southern Sydney coastline were not expecting to find a snake during their game. They were shocked when they found a red-bellied black snake hiding in the hole on the second green, Daily Mail reported.
The snake is venomous and makes up 16% of all snake bites. However, they tend to leave humans alone.
The sight of the unwelcome guest left the golfers terrified and shocked after seeing it in the cup. A golf club representative told the players that it had sought shelter from the searing summer heat.
The golfers were reportedly happy to take the two putts offered to them and moved on. Meanwhile, the red-bellied black snake hung around and watched a few groups come through. It eventually moved on without harming anyone.
The Coast Golf Club shared a video and photos of the snake inside the cup and when it found its way out on Instagram. The post received mixed responses from the netizens.
One suggested getting a rake to assist the snake in moving on and then taking the hole out of play. Another joked that he would go to the next hole.
A third commenter said he would be happy to take a two-putt regardless. A different user agreed, said he would take two putts all day long, and jokingly wished there was a snake in every hole.
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What is a Red-Bellied Black Snake?
The red-bellied black snake is a familiar sight to outdoor adventurers in eastern Australia. They are largely inoffensive and live in streams, swamps, lagoons, forests, woodlands, and grasslands.
According to Australian Museum, they also inhabit rural properties and can sometimes be found in drainage canals, farm dams, thick grass clumps, logs, mammal burrows, and under large rocks.
It has a dorsal head, and its body color is black, except for its snout, which is often pale brown in color. Its lateral scale rows and the outer edge of the ventral scales are bright crimsons, fading to duller red, orange, or pink in the middle of the belly.
Its body scales are smooth and glossy. It has medium-sized eyes with a very dark iris and round pupils.
Red-bellied black snakes can grow up to 2.5 meters. However, adults average around 1.5 meters.
This species is not aggressive and will usually retreat before attacking. When threatened, it will raise its body from the ground, flatten its neck, hiss and perform a series of attacks, according to Wildlife Victoria State Government.
No human deaths have been recorded due to a red-bellied black snake. This type of snake feasts on frogs, rats, mice, lizards, birds, fish, eels, and sometimes other snakes. They also eat cane toads.
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