A highly venomous snake has shocked lunchtime crowds after appearing from a secret hideout at a Sydney cruise terminal.
The red-bellied black snake was spotted by an eagle-eyed pedestrian trying to maneuver his way out of a gate near the Overseas Passenger Terminal at Circular Quay on Tuesday.
In a video posted to TikTok, the snake was seen moving its forked tongue and darting in and out of a wall grate as people walked by.
While some viewers were alarmed by the striking sight in the heart of Sydney’s CBD, others found the encounter amusing.
“Snakes need lunch breaks too,” wrote the woman who posted the images.
“He was looking towards the cruise ship to slide towards it.”
One viewer joked: ‘he’s just watching ssssssight.’
Others expressed concern about the snake’s proximity to the CBD.
“This is incredibly sad… He must have been terrified in such an urban area.”
Australian Reptile Park operations manager Brandon Gifford told The Telegraph the encounter in the CBD was “bizarre”.
He described Tuesday’s hot and humid conditions in Sydney as a “perfect storm” for snakes.
“Urban environments are great for red-bellied blacks, eastern browns and pythons because of their easy shelter and abundance of food,” he said.
The red-bellied black snake (pictured) was spotted by a pedestrian while trying to maneuver its way out of a gate near the Cruise Bar in Circular Quay on Tuesday.
Gifford suspected the snake might have moved and gotten stuck, or that it was looking to reproduce.
“It could be a male looking for a female to reproduce or a female looking to give birth,” he said.
According to Wildlife Victoria, red-bellied black snakes are “not aggressive” and typically retreat before attacking, although they will hiss and rear up when they feel threatened.
Although its venom can cause significant illness, no deaths have been recorded from its bite.
