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Camouflaged snake found lurking in family’s compost pile protecting its nest of eggs – so can you spot it?

Somewhere in this mulch pile lurks a mother python and her clutch of eggs

LURKING in compost heap, a mother snake protecting her nest is so well camouflaged she is almost impossible to spot.

The challenge was posted on Facebook by Aussie snake catcher Lockie Gilding, who was called out to remove it from a family's back garden in Queensland.

Scroll down for the answer

 Can you spot the snake lurking in this compost heap? Scroll down for the answer
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Can you spot the snake lurking in this compost heap? Scroll down for the answerCredit: Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers 24/7

The Spot The Snake puzzle baffled Lockie's 54,000 followers, who failed to identify the coastal carpet python hiding in the mulch pile.

Lockie wrote: "It seems that the last Spot the Snake was a little easy for you guys, so hopefully this one is a little more of a challenge!"

The comments included dozens of attempts to pinpoint the serpent.

Only one person correctly circled its hideout, but many others complained it was "impossible".

 Lockie Gilding revealed the snake was hiding in the bottom left of the pile
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Lockie Gilding revealed the snake was hiding in the bottom left of the pileCredit: Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers 24/7
 It turned out to be a female coastal carpet python
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It turned out to be a female coastal carpet pythonCredit: Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers 24/7
 She was sitting on a clutch of eggs, but the mulch pile had to be moved before they hatched
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She was sitting on a clutch of eggs, but the mulch pile had to be moved before they hatchedCredit: Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers 24/7
 Lockie safely removed the mother snake and her eggs
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Lockie safely removed the mother snake and her eggsCredit: Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers 24/7

Lockie, who runs Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers, later revealed the answer - pointing to an almost invisible burrow in the bottom left of the heap.

He wrote: "The snake in question was a female Coastal Carpet Python and just so happened to be sitting on a clutch of eggs.

"Unfortunately the mulch pile that she was using was in the process of being moved and so she had to be safely relocated.

"Lucky for her the eggs are in perfect condition and will be looked after by us until they are ready to hatch!"

Coastal carpet pythons grow up to 13ft but are not venomous.

They kill prey such as small mammals by constricting them until they stop breathing.

Last year Lockie posed another tricky puzzle - spotting a snake lurking among boxes in a garage.


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