1.5m-long brown snake found under fridge of Moana home

ONE of the world’s most venomous land snakes was found nestled under a fridge in suburban Adelaide. Luckily the homeowner was the one who kept cool ...

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ONE of the world’s most venomous land snakes has been found nestled under a fridge in a Moana kitchen.

Snake Catchers Adelaide was called to a home on the Esplanade on Sunday, where the residents had seen a snake’s head popping out from beneath the fridge.

It is believed the 1.5m eastern brown snake was living in the cliff face along the beach before it slithered in through an open door.

This eastern brown snake was found under a fridge in Moana. It was removed and later gave birth to these 14 eggs at another location. Picture: Snake Catchers Adelaide

Snake catcher Rolly Burrell said the occupants called him in shock around 2pm.

“I think they were sitting there with a glass of red to calm themselves down as I came,” he said.

“I shifted the fridge and grabbed the snake and took it home because it looked like it was gravid (pregnant).”

Mr Burrell said he took the pregnant snake to another location where it laid 14 eggs, which he will incubate.

It would have sought out the fridge because it was cool and damp, he said.

“There’s probably humidity there and it needs humidity to lay its eggs,” Mr Burrell said.

The eastern brown snake is the second-most venomous land snake in the world, but is as common to the area as “mice and rats”.

Mr Burrell, who has been catching snakes for 40 years, said lately he had been called out to catch up to 20 snakes a day.

Mr Burrell will nurse the snake for a few weeks until it is well enough to be released.

“I let them go in an area where they’re not going to concern anybody,” he said.