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Watch: Gigantic Carpet Python Slithers from Rooftop to Treetop in Australia
We didn't think snakes were supposed to do that.
A decade before the turn of the century in the fictional town of Perfection, Nevada, Val McKee and Earl Bassett (played by Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward, respectively) run face first into a species of giant subterranean worms. The so-called Graboids wreak havoc on the town’s few remaining residents, forcing them to band together if they want to survive.
The events of Tremors and the charm of its cast cemented its place in monster movie history, by placing a handful of ordinary people within grabbing distance of giant cylindrical monsters. It was so popular among fans that it garnered five sequels and a prequel. Now, real life is paying tribute not in the Nevada desert, but in the Australian treetops.
Large Australian Carpet Pythons Regularly Scale Rooftops and Trees
Residents of a Queensland, Australia neighborhood were shocked recently, when they found a massive python stretching between their rooftop and a nearby tree. One resident recorded the incident on their phone while they watched from a distance.
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The snake in question was a carpet python, so named for their complex patterning which resembles fancy carpeting. Their mottled color and irregular patterning allow them to blend in among underbrush, logs, and rocks of the forest floor, where they usually hang out.
In the video below, the snake begins on the rooftop before slithering into a nearby tree. The onlookers sound calm, mostly entertained by the bizarre sight, until the snake turns toward them from the treetops. Adults nearby can be heard laughing nervously while a child in the background is heard screaming in apparent fear.
Carpet pythons are common across most parts of Australia (and they played a vital role in the horrifying story of one woman’s brain parasite). They typically hunt birds and small mammals, something which sometimes takes them up off the ground and into the trees.
“Their muscles, distributed properly, hold them up. They reach out for a strong point, then they use muscle and weight to hold themselves up before stretching out to the next spot. It’s quite common to see carpet pythons in trees, either soaking up the sun, avoiding dogs or people or hunting birds and possums,” said Snake Catcher Dan, a licensed snake handler servicing Australia’s Sunshine Coast, in conversation with Yahoo News Australia.
Videos and headlines across the internet have repeated the claim that the snake in the video was 16-feet long. While the snake’s precise length can’t be determined from the video, it’s unlikely it was quite that long. The Queensland government notes that carpet pythons max out at 4 meters (13 feet) and average only 2.5 meters (8 feet). A 16-foot carpet python would literally be twice as long as is typical and roughly 25% bigger than the largest known carpet python. They also note that carpet pythons are regularly found on roofs and in treetops. They recommend keeping a wary eye overhead for sky snakes.
Fortunately, everyone remained calm during the encounter (save for one justifiably frightened child) and the snake slithered on its merry way, one branch at a time. At least the Graboids stay on or in the ground, where they belong.
