close-up photography of brown snake

A Black-headed python. The barred and slightly blurred pattern on its body works well as camouflage in its semi-desert habitat. The black head means it can stick its head out of its burrow on cold desert mornings to warm up in the sun, but at the same time it stays safe in its burrow, and can quickly retract its head into the burrow if it senses danger. I removed one of these off a road once when I was doing a Cape York tour, so it would not get run over. This non-venomous snake should not be confused with the ultra-venomous Inland Taipan, which can have a similar black head.