My first snake!!!

yep, that's right, I have now seen my first live snake in Australia (there was a squashed one around the corner not long after we moved in). And guess where it was - yes ... in our garden!! Now that it's a bit cooler during the day we can get stuck into the gardening without sweating like pigs. Although I imagine Paul is currently sweating as he is digging up the grass behind the water tank for our vege garden.

Anyway - back to the snake. So Paul was digging some old dirt from around one of our trees and marveling at all the creatures he was finding (the water tank guy put it there when he was putting in the tank). And the next I hear "Man that's a big worm, come and have a look. Hang on that's not a worm, it's a snake". Funnily enough it disappeared pretty quickly but Paul was very persistent and kept "hunting it out" as he wanted a photo of it - plus he is still a little boy at heart and marvels about all bugs & creatures (and likes to show them to me - kinda like a kitty cat bringing home it's mangled birds that it's half eaten).

Anyway so here are a pictures of the snake.

Can you spot him - he's just to the right of Paul's spade.
He's not very big - fortunately!

This one is even harder to spot - he's just on the edge of the grass about mid photo, about to slither into the ferns (the I will never ever be pulling out - that's definitely a Paul job now - spiders & snakes - yuk!!!)

This is a closeup from the first photo so you can actually see the snake :-)
Creepy aye!

So I did some research on the Queensland governments EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) website to find out what sort of snakes we get in South East Queensland. I think our little friend is a "Red-naped snake". The info from their website says:

Red-naped snake Furina diadema

Red-naped snake. Copyright: EPA

This species has a red or orange nape that is usually enclosed by a black head and neck band. However, in some individuals, the nape is a complete band causing confusion with the orange-naped snake. The red-naped snake is reddish-brown above, the flanks are lighter with most scales bearing a dark brown or black diagonal edging. It is common in coastal and central western Queensland and is nocturnal, feeding on skinks.
Length: Up to 0.4m
VENOMOUS/ NOT CONSIDERED DANGEROUS

Otherwise I thought it might be this:

Blind snakes (family Typhlopidae)

Ramphotyphlops spp.

A blind snake. Copyright: Queensland Museum

The blind snake is a small, smooth, worm-like burrower with glossy, close fitting scales and their tails are bluntly rounded, ending in a short spur. It has small, dark spots for eyes which probably only sense light and dark. The snake feed on termites and the eggs, larvae and pupae of ants and is often encountered foraging on the surface at night following rain. The blind snake is non-venomous and the structure of their mouths makes them incapable of biting humans. However it does have well developed anal glands that secrete a strong smell when disturbed.

Ha ha - so who wants to come and visit Paul and I now :-D Mwhahahahaha!
Na seriously - the snake was tiny (remember Paul thought it was a big worm at first) and more interested in 'running' away. Plus it's taken me almost a year to see one - so they're not around that much!!

So I've attached a few more pics of Paul gardening too :-)