Highly Venomous Eastern Brown Snake Caught in Australia Airport as Temperatures Rise to 98 Degrees

Authorities issue a warning that sightings of the highly venomous eastern brown snake, like the one that was recently seen in Adelaide Airport, will rise as Australia's temperature rises to 98 degrees.

The eastern brown snake was discovered by Australian Federal Police in the facility's basement parking lot, where they contained it in a box so a snake catcher could remove the potentially lethal reptile properly.

The box was ran through an X-ray machine to make sure the snake was indeed trapped inside while they waited for the snake catcher. This morning, the scan-which depicts the serpent curled up-was shared in a Facebook post.

The Australian Federal Police gives credit to its Adelaide team in their post for this intruder's legal removal.

Eastern Brown Snakes

Because they are the most lethal snake species in Australia, eastern brown snakes are extremely venomous.

A potent neurotoxin in their venom gradually paralyzes the nerves in their heart, lungs, and diaphragm, leading to suffocation in the end.

In addition to these poisons, the snake's venom also contains potent cardiotoxins and procoagulants, which can cause cardiac arrest, convulsions, kidney damage, and uncontrollable bleeding.

Temperature and Female Snakes

According to Australian Museum, although a female can lay up to 25 eggs, typically only 15 are laid in a clutch. Female snakes in captivity have been observed to coil around the eggs for a few hours after giving birth. This behavior may be interpreted as a lack of maternal care or as the snake recovering from the strain of labor.

The time it takes for the eggs to hatch can range from 36 days (86ºF) to 95 days (77ºF) depending on the incubation temperature. Females may be able to lay multiple clutches during one season if the circumstances are right. Eastern Browns snakes are known to use communal or shared nests, with one that was discovered in an abandoned rabbit warren and containing a large number of eggs.

Bumper Snake Season

After experiencing a mouse apocalypse and an unusually wet spring, Australia is currently enjoying a bumper snake season.

Snake catcher Rudy Della-Flora told ABC News Australia that despite the increase in snake sightings, he anticipated seeing even more snake-related callouts in the upcoming months.

There hasn't been much hot weather in the area, Della-Flora said; that's probably still to come, so who knows what will happen then. However, the snakes are definitely out and about.

Soaring Temperatures Reaching 98 Degrees

When temperatures rise above 95 degrees Fahrenheit, Della-Flora claimed that he typically gets 20 callouts per day. It may be a busy Christmas because Adelaide is predicted to experience 98 °F temperatures over the holiday season.

According to the Australian Reptile Park, as the weather warms up, snakes seek refuge from the heat inside people's homes.

Della-Flora advised sealing any gaps under doors to snake-proof a house. He claimed that a snake might be able to fit under a door if a thumb or little finger could fit underneath it.

The Australian Federal Police also posted a caution about this year's snake season on Facebook, noting that they typically don't deal with snakes but that as the weather started to warm up, they reminded people to take care of themselves and their pets, Newsweek reports.