Sightings of the American corn snake (Pantherophis guttatus), on the Central Coast are on the rise.

Classified as a serious invasive species, these snakes have the potential to cause serious damage to the Central Coast’s natural environment and native species.

Central Coast Council Director, Assets, Infrastructure and Business, Mike Dowling is calling on the community to be vigilant and report any sightings of the snake.

“We are seeing more corn snakes as the weather warms up, with four being spotted on the Coast so far. Three of those were caught and the other one escaped,” said Mr Dowling.

“We are committed to minimising the impact this invasive species can have on the environment and are urging residents to alert the Department of Primary Industries if they see one of these snakes.”

The small to medium-sized, slim snake can grow up 180cm long and can be tricky to identify because of the large variation in their colouring, with the most common colour being orange or brownish-yellow with large black-edged red blotches down the middle of its back.

Captive corn snakes, on the other hand, have been selectively bred to produce unusual colour variations, thus they can have bright-red, orange, yellow and white combinations with red, orange or pink eyes.

Corn snakes are able to survive in a diverse range of habitats making them difficult to detect, multiply rapidly and live for up to 20 years, making the opportunity of eradication difficult.

NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI), Technical Specialist Vertebrate Pests, Nathan Cutter advises residents to report any sighting of the snake immediately and not try to capture one on their own.

“The corn snake can carry a reptile tick spread bacterium which kills grazing animals and the parasite, Cryptosporidium which can infect humans, domestic and native animals with diarrhoeal disease,” Mr Cutter said.

“The corn snake has the potential to reduce populations of native wildlife species by preying upon them or competing for habitat and food. The main ecological impacts where the American corn snake has been introduced in other parts of the world such as the Caribbean and Hawaii are on native animals.

“So in NSW our native quolls and marsupial mice, as well as our birds, frogs and lizards would be sources of prey. Corn snakes are even known to kill birds while they are sitting on their nests.

“Biosecurity is a shared responsibility and involves the use of measures to protect our economic, environmental and community assets from the entry and spread of pests and diseases, weeds and contaminants.

“If detected, people should try to keep track of the snake, photograph it and report it to NSW DPI so that a snake handler can be arranged to collect it.”

Sightings of the snake can be reported to Wildlife A.R.C (4325 0666) or by using The DPI Unusual animal sighting reporting form or photographs can be sent to invasive.species@dpi.nsw.gov.au for identification.

The corn snake originates from the United States of America and is an established non-native species in the Cayman Islands, the Virgin Islands, Hawaii and the Bahamas.

It is illegal to import this species into Australia and an offence to keep unless authorised by NSW DPI.