Snake catcher sends internet wild with sneaky serpent hiding in garden

An image of a snake lurking in a patch of leaves has sent the internet into meltdown.

Snakes are amazing creatures, but don’t seem so amazing when they get up close and personal in or around the home. So it’s no surprise that a homeowner called out Snake Catchers Brisbane to remove a snake that had made its home in a big pile of mulch in the Queensland city.

It was so well camouflaged that the snake catcher couldn’t resist posting a snap of the snake, challenging the company’s Facebook followers to see if they could identify the reptile’s location in the pile of mulch.

In a follow-up post, the snake catcher gave a bit more detail and shared a series of photos to show the snake’s very well-hidden location, and the unexpected outcome of the removal operation.

“Once our catcher arrived to the job and saw where the snake was, they knew she would be on eggs. Surely enough, once the female was removed, there was a clutch of eggs underneath where she was curled up,” the post read.

In fact, if you look closely at the second image, you can see two of the hatchlings beginning to emerge from the eggs.

“The homeowners were completely unaware that this Carpet Python had been incubating 23 eggs in their garden for the past 2 months,” the post read. “It was fantastic timing, as only one hatchling had made its way out of its egg as our catcher was removing them. The rest hatched overnight in care and were released the following evening!”

Many users were quick to comment, with one writing: “That is so cool.”

While another added: “Brilliant result! I often wish something this cool would happen in our yard haha.”

Carpet pythons are not venomous, and their diet mainly consists of small mammals, bats, birds and lizards. Wildlife Queensland says that the pythons are commonly found in roof and wall cavities, exposed beams on verandas, in shed and garages, and likes to live in trees, shrubs, discarded building materials and garden debris.

Read more: Woman finds snake in shoe after flying from Australia to Scotland

If the post is anything to go by, it’s quite common for snakes to be found in unusual hiding spots. A Scottish woman received the fright of her life last week after discovering a snake curled up in her shoe following a flight back home from Australia.

Moira Boxall returned home to Glasgow on Friday after spending time in the Land Down Under visiting family but was soon stopped in her tracks as she began unpacking her suitcase.

Instead of just finding the usual clothes, toiletries and souvenirs, she also discovered an unlikely guest making itself comfortable in one of her shoes, the ABC reports. The spotted python had somehow managed to make its way inside her bag and hitched a ride all the way from Australia.

Can you spot the snake lurking in this cluttered space?