# Warning graphic picture! Look what we found dead on the side of the road.



## Coppersimon (Feb 1, 2013)

This morning driving along Heathcote Rd in southern Sydney we noticed this guy dead on the side of the road. What struck us was how big it was.


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## rockett85 (Feb 1, 2013)

Thats a big boa. Makes you wonder how many exotics are out there in the wild!


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## Asharee133 (Feb 1, 2013)

that poor boa :c


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## Justdragons (Feb 1, 2013)

I often wonder that aswell, and how they get here and out again.. in a recent episode of snakebytes bryan shows a albino darwin carpet and says that they only just got them 2 years ago there... does this mean they were smuggled out? or would they have just popped out of a clutch..


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## spinner_collis (Feb 1, 2013)

Justdragons said:


> I often wonder that aswell, and how they get here and out again.. in a recent episode of snakebytes bryan shows a albino darwin carpet and says that they only just got them 2 years ago there... does this mean they were smuggled out? or would they have just popped out of a clutch..



Of course they popped out of a clutch!


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## saintanger (Feb 1, 2013)

exotics are escaping and being released, so this does not shock me at all. we will see more and more in the next few years.


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## Burnerism (Feb 1, 2013)

Maybe they have a smugglers convention at the airport Hilton. Ill swap you this jag for your albino? Lol


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## fourexes (Feb 1, 2013)

Thanks simon I found that quite interesting & slightly disturbing. (Less the gore more the reality of released exotics)


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## solar 17 (Feb 1, 2013)

There is a popular herping spot NW of Brisbane where several people have reported seeing corns.....solar 17


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## Dendrobates (Feb 1, 2013)

It's common knowledge that exotics are out there, and in huge numbers too. Nothing can be done about it, an escaped boa in Sydney is just as bad as an escaped woma in Sydney.


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## geckodan (Feb 1, 2013)

solar 17 said:


> There is a popular herping spot NW of Brisbane where several people have reported seeing corns.....solar 17



Would that be a place named after a certain coloured rock?


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## galeru (Feb 1, 2013)

aww poor boa


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## BIGBANG (Feb 1, 2013)

is it mostly exotic pythons out there i have never known of anyone to have exotics although i know they are out there, or is one day a snake catcher gunna get a call out and be faced with a cobra or gaboon viper??


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## thomasssss (Feb 1, 2013)

Skinks said:


> It's common knowledge that exotics are out there, and in huge numbers too. Nothing can be done about it, an escaped boa in Sydney is just as bad as an escaped woma in Sydney.


really? for some reason i just dont see a woma being as bad as a boa , womas only grow so big , i dont see one causing as many problems as a boa could regardless of the native vs non native thing


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## Pilbarensis (Feb 1, 2013)

@ Skinks - Still, rather have womas in Sydney than boas.


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## TheJoyces (Feb 1, 2013)

Burnerism said:


> Maybe they have a smugglers convention at the airport Hilton. Ill swap you this jag for your albino? Lol


Lol don't you know we only smuggle things using boogie board covers?


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## Dendrobates (Feb 1, 2013)

thomasssss said:


> really? for some reason i just dont see a woma being as bad as a boa , womas only grow so big , i dont see one causing as many problems as a boa could regardless of the native vs non native thing



For starters a woma is as exotic to Sydney as a boa is.. Tell me what damage this boa is going to cause that a woma wouldn't? They both eat large mammals, womas are capable of getting to almost the same size as that boa species, etc 

If anything a woma would cause more damage as they will also eat other reptiles.


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## Tassie97 (Feb 1, 2013)

Introduction of exotic disease


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## thomasssss (Feb 1, 2013)

Skinks said:


> For starters a woma is as exotic to Sydney as a boa is.. Tell me what damage this boa is going to cause that a woma wouldn't? They both eat large mammals, womas are capable of getting to almost the same size as that boa species, etc


as i said , i was sort of excluding the exotic part as i knew what point you where making ( the womas are pretty much exotic to sydney part) but i thought boas where capable of getting a fair bit bigger than womas both in girth and length , just from everything ive read and the few ive seen ( although there captives in zoos and i know wild ones are a fair bit smaller and it depends on the types which i dont know anything about really ) so they would be capable of eating larger prey and more of it , that was just my thoughts , i wasnt looking for an argument or anything just questioning why you thought what you did


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## Dendrobates (Feb 1, 2013)

thomasssss said:


> as i said , i was sort of excluding the exotic part as i knew what point you where making ( the womas are pretty much exotic to sydney part) but i thought boas where capable of getting a fair bit bigger than womas both in girth and length , just from everything ive read and the few ive seen ( although there captives in zoos and i know wild ones are a fair bit smaller and it depends on the types which i dont know anything about really ) so they would be capable of eating larger prey and more of it , that was just my thoughts , i wasnt looking for an argument or anything just questioning why you thought what you did



I'm not arguing with you, just offering a different opinion. It depends on the species of boas, but realistically they are going to prey on the same mammalian food items. Womas from certain localities are capable of reaching very large sizes (rivalling BHP's). All as I was really getting at anyway is that exotic pythons/boas would do no more harm then a snake from out of that bioregion. 

The introduction of exotic disease is often brought up too. The majority of these exotic species are probably being bred here and have been for many generations.


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## geckodan (Feb 1, 2013)

Being a live bearer does guarantee a certain degree of competitive advantage over an egg layer like a woma = greater chance of survival of a reproductive population.


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## thomasssss (Feb 1, 2013)

Skinks said:


> I'm not arguing with you, just offering a different opinion. It depends on the species of boas, but realistically they are going to prey on the same mammalian food items. Womas from certain localities are capable of reaching very large sizes (rivalling BHP's). All as I was really getting at anyway is that exotic pythons/boas would do no more harm then a snake from out of that bioregion.
> 
> The introduction of exotic disease is often brought up too. The majority of these exotic species are probably being bred here and have been for many generations.


i should of mentioned that i was basing my thing with the woma sizes on the more commonly kept localities , so boordaries tanami wa etc, from what ive gathered only the SA locale (which doesn't seem to really be all that commonly kept for some reason) really gets to the 2+ size , but ill happily be told otherwise there 

i also didnt really mention the disease thing because of what youve said there , i have heard that there pretty much being bred here in fair numbers now days and that very few are still smuggled , i was sorta just envisioning a boa snatching up peoples small dogs in suburban sydney  , where as i cant see a woma doing that , if it where a scrubby in sydney , id have to agree with you 100%


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## Dendrobates (Feb 1, 2013)

geckodan said:


> Being a live bearer does guarantee a certain degree of competitive advantage over an egg layer like a woma = greater chance of survival of a reproductive population.



Good point Danny.



thomasssss said:


> i should of mentioned that i was basing my thing with the woma sizes on the more commonly kept localities , so boordaries tanami wa etc, from what ive gathered only the SA locale (which doesn't seem to really be all that commonly kept for some reason) really gets to the 2+ size , but ill happily be told otherwise there



The QLD womas can get to around the 8ft mark, but they aren't exactly commonly kept.


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## yewherper (Feb 1, 2013)

I think i was pretty crazy. When Simon and i spotted it we had to turn around and double check that it was actually a boa. I knew exotics were out there, but i never ever expected to see one in the wild. Let alone one that big! 
Sad to see a snake die, but atleast it may have save some native wildlife.


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## FAY (Feb 1, 2013)

Pretty sure a boa of that size can kill and eat a much larger prey than any woma


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## moosenoose (Feb 1, 2013)

Sadly best thing TO get run over.


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## Dendrobates (Feb 1, 2013)

FAY said:


> Pretty sure a boa of that size can kill and eat a much larger prey than any woma



Going off the size of that white line womas get a hell of a lot bigger than what that boa is.


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## Pauls_Pythons (Feb 1, 2013)

FAY said:


> Pretty sure a boa of that size can kill and eat a much larger prey than any woma



Agreed Faye.
I kept Boas in my past life and they are much heavier bodied than most species including woma's, good size head too. Grow to about 12 foot but the body mass would be similar to a much longer burm


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## sharky (Feb 1, 2013)

Poor fella, I think he's a columbian RTB? :? It makes you wonder how many of these are actually illegally kept. I hate to say this, but I'm glad he got run over....if he/she mated with an aussie species who knows what would happen....could wipe out some native easily becuas of the size...

Soon enough I believe the government will give in and just let certain exotics in...that is just my opinion. Either that or they will hopefully get hold of their roles and actually take action...that's just my opinion though others can think differently


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## Dendrobates (Feb 1, 2013)

sharkyy1o5 said:


> Poor fella, I think he's a columbian RTB? :? It makes you wonder how many of these are actually illegally kept. I hate to say this, but I'm glad he got run over....if he/she mated with an aussie species who knows what would happen....could wipe out some native easily becuas of the size...



Just so you know - a boa can't mate with any of our native species.


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## disintegratus (Feb 1, 2013)

Everyone says that exotics are everywhere here. I've never seen or been offered one, and although I don't want to keep any exotics because I love aussie pythons too much, it would be kind of awesome to see someone's exotic collection and get to play with them without having to go overseas.


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## Focus (Feb 1, 2013)

I'm confused at what the argument here is. Why does the size of the escaped snake matter in this case? We're not talking about retics or burmese, there's no threat to humans. Isn't the argument whether or not a relocated snake can start a feral population in sydney? And in the case of both womas and boas isn't the answer no? Happy to be corrected.


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## Mangy_Wombat (Feb 1, 2013)

I agree that it was best for it to be run over, at the end of the day it is just as feral as a fox. With the discussion on the extent of the illegally kept exotics I think the greatest concern should be for those that are venomous. There would be very little if any anti venom for exotics and if any escaped or were released and someone was bitten I would think the bite would prove fatal. I would hate to think we could end up with the reptile version of the cane toad.


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## Renenet (Feb 1, 2013)

Holy hell. Exotic roadkill is a bit disturbing.



disintegratus said:


> Everyone says that exotics are everywhere here. I've never seen or been offered one, and although I don't want to keep any exotics because I love aussie pythons too much, it would be kind of awesome to see someone's exotic collection and get to play with them without having to go overseas.



There's an easy solution for that - do some volunteer work at a zoo.


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## fourexes (Feb 2, 2013)

I wonder what went through the persons mind that ran over it....before and after. It looked a bit too big and yellow to go un-noticed. 

Focus I don't believe there is an argument here, the pic was merely posted for discussion, some people just bite more than others.


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## sharky (Feb 2, 2013)

I believe the person who ran this snake over probably wasn't one educated on species. They probably thought "Oh crap! A snake! A BIG SNAKE!" And their first reaction was to run it over. Don't ask me why people are so cruel like this


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## Variety (Feb 2, 2013)

sharkyy1o5 said:


> I believe the person who ran this snake over probably wasn't one educated on species. They probably thought "Oh crap! A snake! A BIG SNAKE!" And their first reaction was to run it over. Don't ask me why people are so cruel like this



I doubt when driving anyone has time to process whats about to move infront of their car, I know i try to avoid hitting anything in mine just because of the mess... More then likely didnt recognize the long stretched out object and probably even could of thought it to be a peice of rope.


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## thomasssss (Feb 2, 2013)

Variety said:


> I doubt when driving anyone has time to process whats about to move infront of their car, I know i try to avoid hitting anything in mine just because of the mess... More then likely didnt recognize the long stretched out object and probably even could of thought it to be a peice of rope.


do they even make rope that thick


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## Variety (Feb 2, 2013)

thomasssss said:


> do they even make rope that thick



At say 100kms an hour you would be lucky to see this for more then 2 seconds, i doubt you could then process what it is/isnt then make a judgement whether or not to use your car as a weapon to kill it. Assuming you believe it to be an animal not a piece of debrie or something .. 

Comparing it to the line i would say yes.


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## Shotta (Feb 2, 2013)

poor brazilian raibow boa its almost full size someone must've had it for a while before it escaped lol


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## thomasssss (Feb 2, 2013)

Variety said:


> At say 100kms an hour you would be lucky to see this for more then 2 seconds, i doubt you could then process what it is/isnt then make a judgement whether or not to use your car as a weapon to kill it. Assuming you believe it to be an animal not a piece of debrie or something ..
> 
> Comparing it to the line i would say yes.


is heathcote road a highway? i thought it was a minor road (so say 60k limit) which is why the op was able to get the pics , either way if they thought it was rope they would of have to had thought it was a bloody thick piece of rope (which i know is made for certain reasons but it isnt very common) and if your a decent driver and the animal doesn't just run in-front of you (which a boa could not do), you should be able to avoid it , i speak from experience their , i live in the country and the amount of animals ive missed on the road is crazy , and yes ive done it at 100kph


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## Variety (Feb 2, 2013)

thomasssss said:


> is heathcote road a highway? i thought it was a minor road (so say 60k limit) which is why the op was able to get the pics , either way if they thought it was rope they would of have to had thought it was a bloody thick piece of rope (which i know is made for certain reasons but it isnt very common) and if your a decent driver and the animal doesn't just run in-front of you (which a boa could not do), you should be able to avoid it , i speak from experience their , i live in the country and the amount of animals ive missed on the road is crazy , and yes ive done it at 100kph



Speaking from experience ? so you must have alot of experience and dare i say be always aware and keeping an eye out for any animals that may jump out, ALOT of drivers have a hard time staying on the road .. Im just saying its not right to assume this was done on purpose


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## thomasssss (Feb 2, 2013)

Variety said:


> Speaking from experience ? so you must have alot of experience and dare i say be always aware and keeping an eye out for any animals that may jump out, ALOT of drivers have a hard time staying on the road .. Im just saying its not right to assume this was done on purpose


yep  speaking from experience , i could start putting down experiences that i remember off the top of my head if you would like ? like the coastal i dodged as i came around a corner ( he didnt like being moved off the road ) or the family of ducks that where making their way across the highway near the road works at coffs , only just missed them , then theirs the countless roos ive missed , like i said i live in country not the city of large suburban area so animals on the road is a common thing to encounter 

im not saying that it was done on purpose im also not going to start making excuses for them , imo if you are aware on the road like you should be then you would see it coming provided it wasn't in heavy traffic etc which if it was id expect to see less of the snake intact

just re read what you wrote , just this part " always be aware and keeping an eye out for any animals that may jump out at you " your not implying the boa just jumped out in front of this driver are you ? ive seen roos jump out in front of me , birds swoop down in front of me , hell one night i even had a possum jump out of a tree onto the road but never a snake


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## Variety (Feb 2, 2013)

Yeah fair call .. Also i didnt take into account how close it was to the edge of the road


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## mcloughlin2 (Feb 2, 2013)

I find it interesting that some people in this thread are concerned about the size of the snake, and thay by being larger and eating larger prey items it will somehow cause more ecological damage then a relocated native species such as a woma? It actually should be the opposite line of thinking, larger species of animals gain greater support by the general public so are often protected at a greater rate then say some rare species of native rodent or marsupial that is suitable size for a woma to eat. In reality this massive online hate for exotics does nothing to help the cause, people should actively participate in things that's will find a suitable solution, not jump on a bandwagon with their pitch forks and start chanting that exotics are the end of us all, riddled with rare, exotic diseases. Anyway, that's my two cence.


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## fourexes (Feb 2, 2013)

not to mention those white lines are at least 4 inches wide.... 

Was the entire snake there simon? seems short for the girth but it's hard to tell when it looks like it's been through a blender :?


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## JasonL (Feb 2, 2013)

Justdragons said:


> I often wonder that aswell, and how they get here and out again.. in a recent episode of snakebytes bryan shows a albino darwin carpet and says that they only just got them 2 years ago there... does this mean they were smuggled out? or would they have just popped out of a clutch..



Yes they popped out a clutch..... about the same time as people here started popping out clutches of Jags

- - - Updated - - -

Boas at Heathcote..... well I guess thats better than all the corns that turn up.... well if you can't afford a South American herping holiday the Engadine Motor Inn is the next best thing!!!

- - - Updated - - -



Nilesh said:


> poor brazilian raibow boa its almost full size someone must've had it for a while before it escaped lol



Thats no Rainbow Boa

- - - Updated - - -


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## Dendrobates (Feb 2, 2013)

JasonL said:


> Yes they popped out a clutch..... about the same time as people here started popping out clutches of Jags



Wow! What an amazing coincidence :shock:


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## JasonL (Feb 2, 2013)

Incredible really.... I mean what are the chances..


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## treeofgreen (Feb 2, 2013)

Hope it ate a heap of uncontrolled cats before it died. Poor fella  beautiful animals either way you look at it.


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## -Peter (Feb 2, 2013)

Well, its the right area for red tails...


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## Coppersimon (Feb 2, 2013)

fourexes said:


> not to mention those white lines are at least 4 inches wide....
> 
> Was the entire snake there simon? seems short for the girth but it's hard to tell when it looks like it's been through a blender :?



Yes the entire snake was there and was about 6 foot maybe but it was fat, about 30cm thick in the middle and that line would be about 20cm thick.


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## Coppersimon (Feb 2, 2013)

Here's a few more pics


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## Mangy_Wombat (Feb 2, 2013)

Heathcote Road is a 100kh speed road and very dark with no street lighting (well it was the last time I was on it) so it is reasonable to think the driver had very little time to see what it was and even to recognise what it was.


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## JasonL (Feb 3, 2013)

Which part of Heathcote Rd was it?.... Its a long road


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## fantapants (Feb 3, 2013)

I wish someone would release a decent exotic like say for instance a King Cobra! just one i'm not greedy


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## Skelhorn (Feb 3, 2013)

Is that a red tailed boa? What a shame. Would have been a score "rescuing" that from the wild


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## Pauls_Pythons (Feb 3, 2013)

Boa constrictor constrictor


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## Coppersimon (Feb 3, 2013)

JasonL said:


> Which part of Heathcote Rd was it?.... Its a long road



Just on the northern side of the bridge closest to heathcote.


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## cement (Feb 3, 2013)

Look, another one dead in the bush back in 2011.


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## JasonL (Feb 4, 2013)

What location was that one cement?


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## Wiganov (Feb 4, 2013)

My Mum lives in Heathcote and she's terrified of snakes. Just wait till she finds out there are boa contrictors in the neighbourhood as well...


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