Most people would probably agree that one venomous snake in your backyard is too many, but how about over 100?
That was the situation Australia’s David Stein found himself in after seeing snakes slithering around in mulch outside his home. According to the Associated Press, Stein called the Reptile Relocation Sydney organization, which sent out catcher Dylan Cooper to bag up what turned out to be 102 venomous red-bellied black snakes.
As it turns out, some of the snakes were pregnant, and were giving birth at an unprecedentedly high rate. In fact, 29 snakes were actually born inside Cooper’s catching bag as he was trying to wrangle up the others.
“You can get a decent number like that when the babies are hatching,” says Reptile Relocation Sydney owner Cory Kerewaro said. “But to have this many venomous snakes, no one’s come across it.”
While snakes like pythons lay eggs, the red-bellied black snakes give birth to live young.
All told, Stein’s backyard proved to be a maternity ward for a total of five adult snakes and 97 offspring, which is probably not how anyone wants to make hiss-tory.