VIDEO: Snakes alive! Are they lovers or fighters?

"We all thought they were making love. Now I'm not so sure."

A still from a video of two snakes in Chillingham posted by Shirley Henry. Picture: Contributed

A CHILLINGHAM family was caught off guard when they saw two snakes going at each other in their backyard.

The two carpet snakes, which are non-venomous, were caught in either an act of passion or frustration outside the window of Shirley Henry's home.

Posting a video of the slithery sighting to social media, Ms Henry said she was quite shocked to see the two snakes so close to her home.

"It was a sight most people never see," Ms Henry told Tweed Daily News.

"We all thought they were making love. Now I'm not so sure."

People commenting on the video were divided over whether the slippery pair were embroiled in an act of passion - or battling it out to try to impress a nearby snake of the fairer kind.

Ms Henry said she'd only seen a snake entanglement like this once before.

"In the 1980s at this same property I saw two snakes, not pythons, rearing up, entangled and struggling," she said.

"One was a dark colour and the other was a bright tan colour.

"The other two I saw were further away. It was getting dark, so I got away from there. They were near my veggie garden. It was lucky this pair were right under my window, so everyone had a good view."

A Tweed Valley Wildlife Carers spokesperson confirmed there had been an increased number of snake sightings recently, as temperatures began to warm up.

"We've had a few, yesterday I heard about two brown snakes mating," the spokesperson said.

"They're definitely out and about and they're getting caught on the highway."

If you spot a snake, call Tweed Valley Wildlife Carers on the 24-hour hotline [phone].