There's a dangerous myth about Australian venomous snakes that researchers have disproved

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Researchers find at least 31 species of Australian venomous snakes engage in climbing behaviour, in the first paper to document the phenomena.

When their observations were expanded to include venomous snakes climbing things other than trees, or snakes under extreme stress, such as when fleeing predators or rising floodwaters, the number of climbing species rose to 31.

In Australia, there are five families of land snake — the pythons, file snakes, blind snakes, the rear-fanged snakes or colubrids, and the front-fanged snakes or elapids. While many elapids have evolved venom, Australia's elapids are singular in their potency. The world's most venomous land snake, the inland taipan, is capable of killing around 250,000 mice with the venom from a single bite, according to the LD50 parameter.

If any of those early Australian elapids had moved into the trees, the aridification of Australia would have counted against them, according to Matt Sleeth. And the path that they took to get here probably explains why many of Australia's colubrids are tree specialists.What that means is that their migration path was a heavily forested one that favoured tree-dwelling species.

 

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That misconception went 30 odd yrs ago when working casually for a major retailer. One lunch break in the upstairs staffroom I heard a ruckus in the ceiling. I passed it off as a rat or possum. Imagine my horror when a huge Red Belly enters the light fitting right above my head!?

A myth really. I thought it was common knowledge.

thanks kindly ABC, the incl YouTube of a climbing tiger snake has sent shiver after shiver through my body😰

so they *do* still like a snoot boop, then?

Never heard of this, but when you’ve seen an echidna take a swim at the beach a snake climbing a tree is not news or myth. A red belly lives around river ways and are amazing swimmers.

Is that a myth? I've never heard it

Only snakes ABC should BE concerned is the two legged ‘ RIPP off merchants ‘ which ABC was one good at exposing , but now are lame leftie issues , no wonder last in rating figures, NO one watches it’s present CRAP anymore or listen to its news coverage

Yeah l figured this out 30 years ago when l encountered a taipan on top of some shelves in a rental house.

Yeah? I lived on a small farm. My resident Red Belly limbed a fence i was sitting next to. To check me out. Face to face at 6'. Pretty snake

That they don’t invade their next door neighbors in Switzerland? LOL out loud

Spoiler.. snakes climb

Aww geez a click bait type headline..? Cmon we are better than this

I don’t want one on the sofa with me watching telly!

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