Today I stepped on a Brown Snake and..............

For the last couple of months I've been working for a prominent agricultural exporter helping them with their quality assurance system.

A lot of in-field work is involved.  Unusually, I hadn't seen a snake the entire time - apart from the odd one making a mad dash across the road well ahead of the dual cab's new Mickey Thompson tyres.

And then I decided to step on one.  A Common Brown Snake.  Australia's second most venomous snake, known for being grumpy and aggressive.

Obviously I didn't know it was there and it clearly didn't feel the need to move on as I was walking towards it.  We were in the middle of a paddock, so it had plenty of space to get out of the way as it felt the vibrations of my steps.

The snake moved a bit as I stepped on it's tail, which caught my attention and I glanced down.

Oh crap.  THIS IS IT!!!  There's no way out of this one.

OK.  I'm behind it, not in front of it - which is good.  It can escape if it wants to.

But that leaves it room to fling around and strike if it feels threatened.

Do I jump back or slowly take my foot off and step back quietly?

If I jump back I might keep away from it's fangs if it's going to strike.  But that might startle it and seal-the-deal it will try and bite me anyway.

OK.  I'm going to slowly step away, moving further behind the snake - hoping all involved remain calm.  Sorry about your tail - no harm done.  Nothing to get angry about.

I gently removed my foot and slowly walked backwards.

The snake just lay there for a few moments looking at me and then slithered away in the opposite direction - not in any great rush.

Why it didn't strike me I'll never know - but who wants to over-analyse that one!

If you do have experience with snakes and might know the answer, I'd be interested to hear.

I think the snake felt a connection - some sort of bond.  On a trip to Vietnam I once ate the beating hearts of a water python and drank it's blood.  (see previous blog 'Be still my beating heart.......')

This is a custom to strengthen young males.  In Vietnam snakes also symbolise immortality and luck.

So perhaps the snake felt some sort of kinship.

Whatever the reason, today was my day.

That snake looked me in the eye and thought "not today sunshine, not today."

Or it was thinking "would you bloody-well hurry up and get off me."

Do you have a snake story to share?