Mysterious ‘snake eggs’ found in Australian school leave experts baffled

A child digging through a sandpit in Australia uncovered 7 deadly snake nests

Alarm bells went off when a child discovered nests of eggs in a New South Wales school sandpit — but experts are confused about the true identity of the specie.

In all 43 eggs were uncovered from seven nests in the large sandpit at the school in Laurieton, New South Wales, after three days of digging.

Volunteers from the wildlife rescue organisation FAWNA NSW arrived after a child playing in the sand found a clutch of 12 of the eggs and initially identified the eggs as belonging to one of Australia’s deadliest creatures – the eastern brown snake.

However, Australian Reptile Park general manager Tim Faulkner told the Daily Telegraph the shape of eggs found in the sandpit were not consistent with the more elongated size of the deadly brown snake.

Brown snakes are among Australia’s most deadly reptiles and are characteristically aggressive.

The news of the discovery was widely reported, prompting questions from snake experts about the shape and the location of the eggs.

But now doubt has been cast over whether they were snake eggs at all, with experts questioning whether a snake could bury its eggs in the sand.

 

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About the Author: Akhtar Jamal

Tribune International