A photo of a venomous snake barely visible under dead leaves has reminded Australians to be wary of the creatures.
The photos were taken on Wednesday in bushland near the aptly named Snake Valley, west of Ballarat.
It was found by Hodgson’s snakesa snake trapping company based in Ballarat, who revealed the snake in question was a venomous lowland copperhead that can grow up to 1.7 meters in length.
The snake’s brown scales are barely visible as it is almost perfectly camouflaged among the layer of dead leaves on the ground.
Hodgson’s Snakes owner Gianni Hodgson told Daily Mail Australia they moved the snake into the bush after receiving a call from a nearby homeowner who found it under a pile of rubble on their property.
Can you spot the copperhead snake hiding among the dead leaves in the bushland near the aptly named rural town of Snake Valley, west of Ballarat?
The image is posted on the Hodgson’s Snakes Facebook account in which they challenged their followers to try to spot the snake.
Despite numerous attempts, users were unable to find the copperhead.
“Pictures like this make me think I’ve (probably) walked past snakes a million times without knowing it,” one user commented.
Mr Hodgson said while copperheads are ‘probably the most common’ snake found in the area, deadly brown, tiger and black snakes can also be spotted.
The snake catcher told the Aussies not to follow common advice such as ‘stomping their feet’ if they happened to encounter a snake.
“We recommend that you conserve your energy and use your eyes because there is no guarantee that if you stamp your feet they will flee,” he said.
‘You can just stomp on a snake, a snake that you would otherwise have seen.’
He said the key to avoiding potentially deadly snakes was to “stick to paths or short grassy areas and never climb over and walk around rocks and logs.”
“Once you see one, just step back until you’re a safe distance away and know it’s not coming your way, then take a wide path around it.”
The brown scales of the highly venomous snake are barely visible, camouflaged among the leaf litter (photo)
Although copperheads can deliver a dangerous bite, they are described as “stealthy and avoid human confrontation” unless provoked, according to the Australian Museum.
The venom of all three copperhead species found in Australia is neurotoxic, haemolytic and cytotoxic, meaning it attacks the nervous and blood systems and destroys cells.
“A bite from an adult of any species can be potentially fatal without medical attention,” the Australian Museum website says.
The University of Melbourne noted that one reported bite was “life-threatening”, but the victim later recovered.