This camouflaged predator is nearly impossible to spot

Image: Jerry Davis, Texas via @SssnakeySci on Twitter

A bushwalker is no doubt thankful for his eagle eyes after narrowly avoiding a camouflaged predator lurking in leaf litter.

While Australia’s snakes are deadly and masters of camouflage, the latest picture puzzle to take the internet by storm is of a predator in North America. 

This photograph is of a copperhead snake, sent in by Jerry Davis from Texas, to snake biologist Helen on Twitter. 

Can you spot the snake in the picture? 

 

A post shared by Travel at 60 (@travelat60) taken by Jerry Davis via @SssnakeySci, Twitter on Apr 25, 2017 at 7:02pm PDT

Copperhead snakes can grow up to a metre long, and they’re ambush predators, often waiting amongst dead leaves where, as the picture shows, they’re incredibly hard to detect. While they do tend to avoid humans, unlike most snakes copperheads freeze instead of slithering away when approached, which results in the occasional unlucky hiker or animal stepping on them. 

If you do see a snake when you are hiking, the best thing to do is stay calm and back away. The snake should slither away when it notices you. Follow nature trails and avoid walking through long grass, and if you’re brought your dog, make sure they’re on a leash for their own safety. 

If you are heading somewhere where it’s likely there will be snakes, do some research on the area, what snakes inhabit it and what they look like. If you are bitten, get to hospital as quickly as possible and try to remember what the snake looked like as this will assist medical staff in treatment.  

If you can’t see the snake in the picture, click here to see the answer.

Have you ever had a close encounter with deadly wildlife? Tell us about it in the comments below.