This eye-catching photo from Napoleons, shows a pair of copperhead snakes in combat. One appears to be biting – or perhaps attempting to eat – the other.
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Before the photo was taken, the two well-grown, similar-sized snakes (approximately one metre long) were seen in aggressive, defensive mode. Both were lying parallel to each other for a while, then they tried to seize each other, becoming knotted up as they did so. After a short time they took up the position shown.
The paler one released the other when the photographer moved closer for another shot.
Both snakes seemed none the worse for wear on separation, with both taking refuge in the same place – under a nearby tank.
We can only guess what was happening here. The two were probably males defending their territories. Copperheads mate at this time of the year, and males are known to fight each other in their search for females. Both appear plump and well-fed, ready for winter hibernation. Male copperheads are larger than females.
A male snake in mating mode is unlikely to want to make a meal of another full-sized male.
There is no difference in the colour of the sexes or ages of copperheads, so the sharp disparity between the two in the photo is rather a surprise. The brighter one is not a red-bellied black snake - as might be suspected - but a well-coloured copperhead. A black snake would be glossy black above and bright red below. The copperhead’s colour is on the sides only, not underneath as well.
The lighter snake in the photo is less coloured than usual, lacking any orange tone along its sides. Its dark back, and its shape, are typical of a copperhead, rather than of a brown snake.
The copper-coloured head that gives the snake its name is not always present.
CRANE FLIES APPEAR WITH RAIN
The rain a fortnight ago resulted in the appearance of numerous crane-flies in local bushland. They were clearly responding to the damp conditions.
Crane flies look like very large gangly mosquitoes. Their legs are very long and fragile, sometimes dropping off if the insects are roughly handled. Their resemblance to large mosquitoes makes some people nervous, but they do not bite or sting or suck blood.
They like damp, shady places such as along creeks and gullies. In dry conditions they may congregate in mineshafts and burrows.
Their larvae are mostly aquatic, although some live in damp soil and others in decomposing vegetation.
They start mating when the autumn rains come.
