Licensed snake removal · Greater Sydney

Snake identification Sydney

Colour and size can be misleading. If a clear photo can be taken without moving closer, send it to our team and keep watching from a safe position.

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24/7 availability · Cost-effective snake removal · No weekend or public-holiday loading · Greater Sydney · How we arrange attendance

Golden-crowned Snake showing the pale crown marking used for identificationGenuine Harley field photograph
Call Snakes in the City · 0411 103 488Text a photoWhat to do now →

Photo identification is free when Harley is available. Response times vary during call-outs. For a snake nearby now, call rather than waiting for a text reply.

Snake nearby? Stay calm and follow these steps

  1. Move back slowly. Give the snake space and avoid sudden movements.
  2. Clear the area. Keep children, pets and other people away.
  3. Watch from a safe position. Note where the snake was last seen without following it into cover.
  4. Call Snakes in the City. Phone 0411 103 488 and describe the location. Do not delay an urgent call to take a photograph.

If anyone is bitten, call 000 immediately and follow the snakebite first-aid guidance.

A safe first step

Help Harley understand what you saw

Identification can help guide the response, but it should never put you closer to the animal. Juveniles can look different from adults, lighting can change colour, and harmless and dangerous species may be confused.

Move children, visitors and pets away. Do not touch, pin, trap, spray or place the snake in a container. If it is safe, keep visual contact from a distance and call Snakes in the City on 0411 103 488.

Commonly recognised species

Snakes seen around Sydney

This gallery is educational only. Do not make handling decisions from an online comparison, and never approach a snake for a better look.

Eastern Brown Snake during a professional removal at Penrith

Eastern Brown Snake

Species guide →
Red-bellied Black Snake safely contained after a Chatswood removal

Red-bellied Black Snake

Species guide →
Diamond Python safely contained during a Hawkesbury River call-out

Diamond Python

Species guide →
Common Tree Snake safely contained at the InterContinental Sydney

Common Tree Snake

Species guide →

Photographs supplied by Snakes in the City. Appearance varies; these photographs are not a substitute for professional identification.

Recent real Sydney snake call-outs

Genuine call-out photographs supplied by Snakes in the City. Do not attempt to handle a snake yourself.

A useful photograph

What to send our team

  • A zoomed photo taken from a safe position
  • The suburb and type of property
  • Where the snake was last seen
  • Whether children, pets, staff or customers are nearby
  • Any obvious escape route or hiding place

Keep your distance

What not to do

  • Do not move closer to take a photograph.
  • Do not pick up, pin or put the snake in a container.
  • Do not rely on colour alone to decide it is harmless.
  • Do not search dark or confined spaces after it disappears.
  • Do not delay an urgent call while seeking an identification.

An unusual Sydney species

Yellow-bellied sea snake on a Sydney beach

When lifesavers found a venomous marine snake near a swimming area, Harley assessed the animal and safely removed it from the busy public space.

Read the Sydney beach field story →

Related help

Identification is only one part of a safe response

Choose the guidance that best matches what is happening at your property now.

Professional, licensed and realistic

Harley operates under NSW General Licence MWL000102655 and uses appropriate equipment for safe capture, containment and humane relocation. If a snake has already left or cannot be located, capture cannot be guaranteed; The attending catcher will provide practical advice based on the site and last known position.

Need help now?

Keep your distance and call Snakes in the City.

Tell our team where the snake was last seen and whether children, pets or other people are nearby.

0411 103 488

Urgent help across Greater Sydney

Found a snake at your property?

Keep your distance, keep people and pets away, and call Snakes in the City.

0411 103 488

Found a shed snakeskin?

A shed skin tells you that a snake was there at some point. It cannot tell you when the snake left, whether it is still nearby or which way it went. Leave the skin in place. There is no need to unfold it, collect it or search the space around it.

If you already have a photo taken from a safe position, send it with the suburb, the date you found the skin and where it was lying. A partial or blurry skin may be impossible to identify. If you can actually see a live snake near people or pets, call 0411 103 488 instead of waiting for a photo reply.

Pale, translucent snakeskin draped through a gap between rocks.
Shed skin on rocks. Photograph by Vis M, CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized WebP, shared under the same licence.

Browse the snake species guides

Use these guides to learn about Sydney snakes after a sighting. Colour and pattern vary, and a photograph alone may leave the species uncertain.