<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Ophidiophobes beware, some of </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/australia" rel="" target="" title="Australia"><span>Australia</span></a><span>'s most venomous </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/snakes" rel="" target="" title="snakes"><span>snakes</span></a><span> could be turning up more and more in city dwellers' backyards and parklands along the nation's east coast.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>This is among the conclusions of a major international research project published today, which found that </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/climate-change" rel="" target="" title="climate change"><span>climate change</span></a><span> is driving a snake migration southwards, away from Australia's arid centre and towards its highly populated coastlines.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Snake bites kill approximately 138,000 people and disable a further 400,000 people worldwide each year.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/snake-geelong-copperhead-snake-victoria-australia/02281f7d-985c-49a4-afd2-347cd12b9cf9" rel="" target="" title="Woman's narrow escape as venomous snake wraps around her leg"><strong><span>Woman's narrow escape as venomous snake wraps around her leg</span></strong></a><strong></strong></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Australia is known for being home to the majority of the world's most deadly snake species, including the top three: the inland taipan, the eastern brown snake and the coastal taipan.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>However, deaths from snake bites in Australia are fairly rare, averaging two or three each year.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>As well as rapid access to antivenoms and other treatments, this is in large part because snakes typically avoid built-up urban centres, with many city-dwellers rarely sighting one unless they take to bushwalking. </span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/deadly-venomous-snakes-pushed-towards-australias-highly-populated-east-coast/2d63af8c-69cd-4fe9-b8ef-5043dfe2a718" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The international research team - which included scientists from the Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine - used computer modelling to study the overlap between all 508 medically significant venomous snake species and human populations.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>They then modelled how these would shift due to changes in the global climate by 2050 and 2090.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Of all of Australia's venomous snakes, they found the eastern brown had the highest overlap with humans, followed by the coastal taipan.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/snake-queensland-nsw-border-python-hitches-ride-in-car/38d50155-61c3-41f9-b7fc-e641d74c3dd4" rel="" target="" title="Python hitches ride in unsuspecting driver's car across state border"><strong><span>Python hitches ride in unsuspecting driver's car across state border</span></strong></a><strong></strong></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The eastern brown snake is the second most venomous snake in the world and is responsible for most of the country's fatal snake bites.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It can be found all the way down the east coast from </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/queensland" rel="" target="" title="Queenland"><span>Queenland</span></a><span> to </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/victoria" rel="" target="" title="Victoria"><span>Victoria</span></a><span> but typically prefers dry grass and woodlands.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>However, by 2050, changes to Australia's climate would see the eastern brown's range expand south, especially along the highly populated east coast, the study found.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>At the same time, inland species such as the inland taipan would see their range across northern and inland Australia shrink.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Before this study surprisingly little was known about the exact distribution of many medically important snakes, even some widespread ones that cause many bites," the study authors said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Our predictions can be used to decide where to stockpile which antivenom, how to ensure adequate capacity of individual health facilities, how to improve health care accessibility of remote at-risk communities, and where to focus conservation efforts for threatened snake species."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The full international report was </span><a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0014030" rel="" target="_blank" title="published in the journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases today"><span>published in the journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases today</span></a><span>.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><em><strong><span>NEVER MISS A STORY:</span></strong></em><span> </span><em><span>Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.</span></em></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><ul><li><em><strong><span>Download the 9NEWS App here via</span></strong></em><span> </span><a href="https://apps.apple.com/au/app/9news/id1010533727" target="" title=""><em><strong><span>Apple</span></strong></em></a><span> </span><em><strong><span>and</span></strong></em><span> </span><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nineNewsAlerts.nine.com&amp;hl=en_AU&amp;pli=1" target="" title=""><em><strong><span>Google Play</span></strong></em></a></li><li><em><strong><span>Make 9News your preferred source on Google by</span></strong></em><span> </span><a href="https://9.nine.com.au/8x987w" target="" title=""><em><strong><span>ticking this box here</span></strong></em></a></li><li><em><strong><span>Sign up to</span></strong></em><span> </span><a href="https://login.nine.com.au/edm?client_id=nineatnine" target="" title=""><em><strong><span>our breaking newsletter here</span></strong></em></a></li></ul></div></div>