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A picture of a venomous snake barely visible under dead leaves has reminded Australians to be wary of the creatures.
The photos were taken in bushland near the aptly named Snake Valley, west of Ballarat, on Wednesday.
It was found by Hodgson’s Serpentsa snake catching business based in Ballarat, who revealed the snake in question was a venomous lowland copperhead that can grow up to 1.7m in length.
The snake’s brown scales are almost invisible as it is almost perfectly camouflaged between the layer of dead leaves on the ground.
Hodgson’s Snakes’ owner, Gianni Hodgson, told Daily Mail Australia they moved the snake to the bush after being called by a nearby homeowner who found it under a pile of rubble on their property.
Can you spot the copperhead snake hiding among the dead leaves in the bushland near the aptly named rural town of Snake Valley, west of Ballarat?
The picture was sent to Hodgson’s Snakes Facebook account where they challenged their followers to try to spot the snake.
Despite several attempts, users were unable to locate the copperhead.
“These type of pictures make me think I’ve (probably) walked past snakes a million times without knowing it,” one user commented.
Sir. Hodgson said that while copperheads are ‘probably the most common’ snake found in the area, deadly brown, tiger and black snakes can also be seen.
The snake catcher told Australians not to follow common advice like ‘stomping your feet’ if they happen to come across a snake.
“We suggest you save your energy and use your eyes, as there is no guarantee that you can make them escape if you stomp your feet,” he said.
‘You can simply step on a snake, a snake you would otherwise have seen.’
He said the key to avoiding potentially deadly snakes was to “stick to paths or short grassy areas and never climb over rocks and logs and choose to walk around them”.
‘When you have spotted one, simply step back until you are a safe distance away and knowing it is not heading in your direction, take a wide path around it.’
The brown scales of the highly venomous snake can hardly be seen camouflaged among the leaf litter (pictured)
While copperheads can deliver a dangerous bite, they are described as ‘sneaky and avoid human confrontation’ unless provoked, according to Australian Museum.
The venom of all three species of copperheads found in Australia is neurotoxic, haemolytic and cytotoxic, meaning it attacks the nervous system, blood system and destroys cells.
‘A bite from an adult of either species can be potentially fatal without medical attention,’ the Australian Museum website states.
The University of Melbourne noted that one reported bite was ‘life-threatening’ but the victim later recovered.