Five bites in a night: Why snakes are still about

Five people were bitten by snakes across Queensland overnight, in a period when the reptiles are usually less active.

The warmer autumn weather has resulted in snakes remaining active.

Queensland’s unseasonably warm start to autumn has extended instances of snake bites, with five bites reported overnight.

The bites were reported at Riverbend in Logan, Samford Valley in Brisbane’s northwest, Andergrove in Mackay, Calamvale in Brisbane’s south and Kirwan in Townsville. All patients were in a stable condition.

Experts have said the relatively high number of bites so long after summer are due to warmer conditions being sustained.

Owner and Operator of Reptile Relocation and Awareness Tony Harrison said reptiles would normally have calmed down during this time of year.

“Warmer conditions 100 per cent affect it because snakes are still active and people are still out there bumping into them and that equates to more hospital trips,” Mr Harrison said.

Mr Harrison said he was still “flat strap” and had been constantly out catching snakes.

“The number snake bites could also be (because) members of the public see snake handlers on social media handling snakes and we make it look easy, so they see it and think they can as well,” Mr Harrison said.

Bureau of Meteorology Senior Meteorologist Livio Regano said the extended warm period was due to parts of Queensland having less southeasterly trade winds that keep the climate neutral.

“Townsville (temperatures have) been in the 30s every day when it should normally be 29 and in March, there was only one day where Townsville was below 30C,” Mr Regano said.

“Some years we don’t get those winds as much as we should, which has happened this year,” he said.

“It could also be down to the overheated Pacific Ocean which, typically for this last month the Coral Sea has been warmer, meaning any wind that comes off the ocean will be warmer as a consequence,” he said.

The weather is expected to cool this week, with a “cold snap” on the way thanks to a southeasterly or southerly airflow.

“This big wind change we are getting now that brings cooler conditions, we normally get in March,” Mr Regano said.