As if the rest of the world needed any more convincing on the whole ‘Australia’s full of dangerous animals’ thing, just look who showed up at a beach in New South Wales. 

When lifeguards blew their whistles at One Mile beach yesterday, beachgoers were probably not expecting a threat of the serpentine variety. Reports say the 1.5-metre eastern brown snake was spotted taking a leisurely dip in the surf before slithering off into nearby bush (we reckon it was taking its cue from this Cape Cobra). 

“The snake travelled out of the water and remained on the shore for a while until waves washed up against it. Raising its head, it headed for shade towards the lifeguard trailer and happily sat there until again moving up along the beach to the bush,” said one bystander who managed to snap a photo of interloper.

Eastern brown snakes are known for their potent venom and often aggressive nature (the species causes more snakebite deaths in Australia than any other), but the One Mile beach visitor seemed to be of the cautious sort, sticking strictly to the flagged swimming area during its morning surf. 

Twitter users were quick to applaud the snake’s safety-conscious approach:

 

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Top header image: Jon, Flickr