# Did this skin come from a diamond?



## Myvekk (Dec 29, 2012)

My ex-wife, who is terrified of snakes, went out on the back deck this morning. Then rushed back inside when she realised what she had stepped over & called me...:lol: The deck is 2nd floor height off the ground, but has tree branches in contact & some vines/climbers on the supports. I went over & collected the skin & had a look around but couldn't see anything, so I guess it was just 'going past' so to speak...

The skin measures (without stretching it at all), at ~233cm long, and (flat) 7cm across the body, (so about 5cm diameter). It seems to have a faint pattern, that looks to me like it might be a diamond python. This is in Blue Mountains, NSW & the house backs onto the bush valley & national park. You can see a bit of the pattern in the width & head, shots. If not a diamond, what might it have been at this size?

Full length shot:


Width:


Head, length & a bit of pattern:


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## sharky (Dec 29, 2012)

What an awesome thing to find! I think it is a diamond shed from the spotted pattern down the neck and head. It could be a costalxdiamond but my money is on a diamond


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## Shotta (Dec 29, 2012)

i'd say diamond
ha ha sharky beat me to it


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## Splitmore (Dec 29, 2012)

definitely a diamond, but don't be fooled by the size of the shed, they usually stretch up to 50% of their original length so in actual fact the snake was probably only around the 120-140cm mark


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## JasonL (Dec 29, 2012)

The scales on a live snake overlap, and not on the shed skin, thus making it much larger than the actual snake.


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## Myvekk (Dec 29, 2012)

By a PM request, here is a pic of the underside of the shed.




If they stretch up to 50%, that still puts it at an impressive 150-160cm long. With a 3cm diameter body. I suspected diamond from the faint pattern & sheer size of it. None of the RBB's I have seen around Springwood were near that big.


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## JasonL (Dec 29, 2012)

Its 100% a diamond, you could tell that from the pattern on the upper side, no need to look at the ventral scales on this one. Though as you have posted a pic you (and others) will notice that the ventral (belly) scales are not very wide, an Elapids belly scales would be pretty much the width of the underside of the snake...


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## abnrmal91 (Dec 29, 2012)

It would be from a diamond but tell your ex that it's from a eastern brown to keep her on her toes lol


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## PieBald (Dec 29, 2012)

It definetly is some kind of python. You can tell by the amount of scales of the head, most elapids have big scales on their head, also the head is like a triangle, very much like a python. With you being in NSW its most likly to be a diamond python. 
BTW thats a super good shed for any wild snake


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## abnrmal91 (Dec 29, 2012)

python_rep said:


> It definetly is some kind of python. You can tell by the amount of scales of the head, most elapids have big scales on their head, also the head is like a triangle, very much like a python. With you being in NSW its most likly to be a diamond python.
> BTW thats a super good shed for any wild snake


It's the blue mountains, it's a diamond not many others to choose from lol


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## Myvekk (Dec 29, 2012)

abnrmal91 said:


> It would be from a diamond but tell your ex that it's from a eastern brown to keep her on her toes lol



Ha! I could tell her it was one of my Stimsons & she'd steer well clear of it! Just the fact that it was there was enough to make her not want to got out on the deck. 

What would it would have been doing going up there via a tree or steel post, though? Other than snoozing & shedding, obviously. Usually there are just the brushies on the back deck at night to worry about.


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## Bushman (Dec 29, 2012)

Yes, it's almost certainly the sloughed skin from an adult Diamond Python.


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## Myvekk (Dec 30, 2012)

Well, she is _slightly_ relieved that it was a diamond, but just as thrilled as expected to know that they are common in the area!


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## Myvekk (Jun 4, 2013)

Well it was definitely a Diamond. Daughter the yonger, (6) spotted it outside once & we saw where it went & hid in the retaining wall to next door a few months ago.

Tonight I received a desperate call from ex. "Help There's a Diamond python in the house! Come & get it out!"

So I went over to the rescue, (of the snake).  As I got there, I was informed that it was currently distracted, checking out the DVD rack. Sure enough, it was across the back of the TV stand & appeared to be inspecting the DVD selection & was about half way up the rack, more or less vertically. 

After gently removing from there, this is how it looked.













You can see the rack it was inspecting behind me in hte first 2 pics. Daughter the yonger apparently cheering in the background of hte second pic. Last shows the beautiful pattern it has. I would have loved to keep it, but alas that is not allowed. So I relocated it back outside, near to where it was seen previously. It is a lovely creature & quite inoffensive. Not at all agressive when handled. The kids loved it too, once they got over their mothers' fear.

I'd say it could have gone from one hand to the other with my arm outstretched, so about 1.8m long.


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## Norm (Jun 4, 2013)

Very nice, but I think some of your pics didn't work. Beautiful yellow.


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## Myvekk (Jun 5, 2013)

Something strange there. I can see the pics in the post, but not the attachments for 2? Oh well, added them again. Now I see them inline & *** attachments.


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