A highly venomous snake suddenly appeared in a lunchtime crowd after attempting to emerge from its hiding place at a Sydney cruise terminal.
The native snake was spotted by an eagle-eyed pedestrian as it tried to escape through a bar at The Rocks next to Sydney Harbor Bridge.
A video posted on Tik Tok shows the snake flicking its tongue and darting in and out of a grate on the wall as people walk by.
While some people were alarmed by the strange sight in Sydney's CBD, many found the encounter amusing, with the woman joking that “even snakes need a lunch break”.
“He was looking up at the cruise ship, ready to slither aboard,” she continued.
Another user joked: “He's just watching.”
A snake was spotted just meters from the Sydney Harbor Bridge. Photo: TikTok/ella_sian66
Although poisonous, the name of the red-bellied black man is not associated with any death. Photo: TikTok/ella_sian66
Others expressed concern about the snake being so close to the city, with one user saying: “This is incredibly sad…must have been scary in an urban area like this.”
Australian Reptile Park operations manager Brandon Gifford told the Daily Telegraph the encounter in the park's CBD was “bizarre”.
He said Sydney's hot and humid conditions on Tuesday were a “perfect storm” for snakes, even within Sydney.
“Urban environments are ideal for red-bellied blacks, eastern browns and pythons because they have easy shelter and abundant food,” he says.
Mr Guilford told The Sydney Paper that although the snake was venomous, there were no records of deaths associated with it, and that it may have migrated and become stuck or was trying to reproduce.
Wildlife Victoria says red-bellied black snakes are “non-aggressive” and usually retreat before attacking, but will hiss and rear up when threatened.
