Deadly Snake Slithers Into SkyCity Casino In Darwin
October 27, 2014 1:08 pmAround midnight last Saturday, SkyCity Casino gamblers in Darwin, Australia, were suddenly subjected to a terrifying ordeal after a lethal 1.3 metre sea snake slithered through the doors of the seaside casino. Not only does the highly venomous yellow lipped sea snake have an intimidating appearance with its grey and white markings, but the native to Samoa, South India, Japan and Papua New Guinea also has twelve times the venom needed to kill a human being.
Naturally, the casinos patrons hadn’t expected to play Russian roulette with their lives by visiting the Arafura seaside casino, but fortunately for them casino security staff were quick to react and by the time local snake catcher Phil Mangion had been informed and arrived on the scene, the banded female sea krait, as it is also known, had already been partly stuffed into a lunch bag by a security member of staff. The snake was subsequently released back into the Mangrove trees at the East Point Reserve, and learning of the news Environmental scientist Mick Guinea said the reptile probably traveled from a northern Indonesian islands like Aru, before adding:
“It was thrilling. It’s always exciting when animals cross into uncharted territories. There is no breeding population for these snakes in Australia. It’s very likely they could be naturally migrating.”
Mick Guinea also explained that the snake feeds almost exclusively on eels, and was the only sea snake yet discovered to hatch their eggs on land.
“She had the potential to breed a colony. It’s almost breeding season, and she was in great shape with a layer of fat and all of the conditions to have been carrying fertilized eggs.”
Despite carrying more venom than a deadly taipan snake, Mick Guinea stressed that the casino gamblers were probably in slightly less danger than they might have initially imagined as the yellow lipped sea snake is an inoffensive creature with a placid personality and are “loath to bite.”