This is a python.
Specifically a Carpet Python.

Now you might be wondering… where am I! And why am I holding a carpet snake? Well this is some coastal scrub in Northern Queensland - but this is no scrub python. This is the mcdowlii subspecies of one of Australia's most widespread snakes, Morelia spilota.

It's called a carpet python because carpets used to be woven out of hundreds of these snakes… well… that's not quite true, but they do have a bit of this carpet-like pattern on their backs. Pythons probably aren't like the snakes you typically imagine… unlike the dozens of highly venomous other snake species found in Australia… these snakes aren't venomous at all!

But that's not something to sweep under the carpet… Because the bite on these snakes isn't exactly a walk in the park either, with a mouthful of sharp teeth instead of just a couple of fangs… Pythons are the calculating muscle of the snake world, hiding and sneaking around silently and often in the dark. All of these pits that you see along their jaws allow these snakes to hunt by 'see'ing the body heat of their prey. So when the mice are all tucked in their nests… and the birds all fast asleep, this snake is getting ready for a feast. They'll grab their prey and start coiling, throwing loops and killing it by death grip. Unable to expand its lungs, it dies of a lack of oxygen - a term called asphyxiation.

While most only grow to about 2m they can get pretty massive, up to four meters long, over their lifespan of more than 20 years! However you'll almost never see one, as they hide lying in wait coiled up in a tree or behind a rock. But don’t worry, they aren’t at all a threat to people. And some, like this one, can actually be pretty friendly.