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Climate change causes snakes to hide in people’s toilets

Bush fires, heatwaves, melting polar ice caps, rising sea levels, floods, and dry seasons – these are some of the results of climate change. But what is "climate change"? It means a big and long-lasting change in the Earth's climate and weather, and we humans are mainly responsible for it. Human-made CO2 emissions and greenhouse gases harm the atmosphere, and because of that, the Earth’s weather changes.

For many years, tourists from all over the world have visited Australia to enjoy its warm weather. Australia is about 22 times bigger than Germany, so it has more than one climate zone. The northern part of Australia has a tropical climate, while most of the country is desert or semi-arid. Winters in Australia are usually not very cold. But in the southern parts, like Tasmania or Melbourne, temperatures can go below 5°C. In the last 100 years, the temperature in Australia has gone up by more than half a degree. This caused a lot of discussions about climate change and how it affects Australian wildlife.

Australia is famous for its special animals, especially its more than 200 kinds of snakes. Most of them are small and not very dangerous to humans, but one-third of them are venomous. This makes Australia the country with the most venomous snake species in the world. Snakes live everywhere in Australia and are used to its geography and climate.

When it gets colder, snakes become inactive. When the weather is warm, their bodies heat up, and they become active. Like all animals, snakes need to eat and drink. However, in very dry seasons, snakes cannot find enough water to live. During heat waves, they need to cool down. Because dry seasons and heatwaves in Australia are getting hotter and longer due to climate change, snakes are more and more often going into towns to look for water, sometimes even finding it in people’s toilets. Many homeowners in cities like Brisbane, Townsville, and Canberra reported finding snakes in their bathrooms. Most snakes are not aggressive towards humans and will run away if they see them. But one woman was bitten by a snake when she sat down on her toilet. Snake catchers were called to remove the animals.

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