One of the most commonly encountered snakes for anyone who walks beside creeks in the bush around eastern NSW, this
distinctive and very beautifully marked snake is generally shy, retreating under rocks, logs or even into the water when disturbed.
Nonetheless, the patient naturalist (or naturist, depending on the state of dress) will be rewarded by the sight of these snakes
emerging to forage for tadpoles, frogs, fish and lizards along creeklines. This specimen had just consummated a predator-prey
relationship with a juvenile water dragon, which it swallowed remarkably quickly. Blacksnakes are dangerous, but only if they bite
you. That is unlikely to happen unless you attack them by trying to catch or kill them, or by standing on them, which tends to
upset even the most patient snake.