Snake Dance
by Simon Baltais
If you are adventurous and travel with the right people, Peel Island can be very exciting. And nothing is more exciting than walking through the right piece of bush and coming face to face with a Red Bellied Black Snake. Regardless of the years of experience in the bush, or lack thereof, such an encounter is quickly followed by a gasp, a sudden jarring halt, a quick backward leap, a sigh and further short backward leg movements. Yes, it's the snake dance.
Beautiful creatures the Red Bellied Blacks, Pseudechis porphyriacus, (por'-fie-ree'-ah-kus, russet (or purple) false-adder), described as happy go lucky wanderers, they are considered non aggressive, and usually with the sudden arrival of humans, they will move off just as quickly in the opposite direction. They are readily identified by their shiny steely bluish black coloured back and pinkish-red to crimson red underside. These snakes have relatively small fangs, enabling them to penetrate a lizard's scaly skin, which forms a major part of their diet, as do Frogs. Lucky for the Red Bellied Blacks on Peel Island there are no Cane Toads; toads are the number one killers of Red Bellied Blacks. With these snakes being partial to frogs, many die when attempting to swallow a Cane Toad, as their poisonous glands are well and truly active during the consumption phase.
Red Bellied Blacks are a poisonous snake but usually carelessness is the only reason why humans are bitten. It's usually the fool who tries to kill or harass the snake who is bitten. Growing to 220cm, they have some unusual biology. Females gather in nursery groups during pregnancy and remain in the same place near water, not feeding during the later part of their pregnancy. Around March to April they give birth to between 5 and 18 fully formed 20cm long babies, enclosed in individual membranous sacs, which they burst forth from after about 30 minutes. In affect, Red Bellied Black Snakes give birth to live young. Males are also interesting, and during mating in spring, males are engaged in ritual combat.
So when out and about on Peel Island and you are lucky enough to see one of these beautiful and unique animals, after your snake dance, take the opportunity while it lasts, to gaze upon these beautiful snakes.