Why Snakes Spend So Much Time Doing “Nothing”

Understanding Snake Behaviour in Urban Australia

By Chris Williams, Urban Reptile Removal

One of the most common questions we get after removing a snake from a property is a simple one:

“How long was it here?”

In many cases, the honest answer is longer than people realise.

Snakes are often described as sneaky or secretive, but the reality is much simpler. Snakes spend a large part of their lives inactive — not because they are hiding from people, but because that is exactly how they are designed to live.

Understanding why snakes behave this way helps explain why they appear suddenly, why they often stay still when found, and why urban environments suit them surprisingly well.

Snakes Are Built for Energy Efficiency

Unlike humans, dogs, or birds, snakes are ectothermic animals. That means they do not generate their own body heat internally. Instead, they rely on external heat sources such as sunlight, warm surfaces, or ambient air temperature to regulate their body temperature.

This has a major impact on behaviour.

Warm-blooded animals (like us) burn enormous amounts of energy just to stay warm. In fact, most of the food we eat goes into maintaining body temperature, not movement. Snakes don’t have that cost. As a result, they can survive on far less food and can go long periods without feeding.

For large snakes like pythons, that might mean eating only a few times a year.

Energy efficiency is one of the main reasons snakes have been so successful for millions of years — and one of the reasons they can live quietly alongside humans without being noticed.

Why Snakes Are Inactive Most of the Time

To human eyes, inactivity looks like laziness. In snakes, it’s smart biology.

Because snakes don’t generate their own heat, sustained activity is costly. Their muscles tire quickly, and prolonged exertion leads to a buildup of waste products in the muscles. For that reason, snakes are adapted for short bursts of activity, not long chases.

Most of the time, snakes:

• Remain under cover

• Sit in sheltered locations

• Move only when conditions are right

Studies of radio-tracked snakes have shown that it is actually rare to find a snake actively moving in the open. Most individuals spend the majority of their time sheltering under logs, rocks, vegetation, or underground.

This explains why people can walk through bushland for years without seeing a snake — and then suddenly see several in a short period when conditions are perfect.

Temperature Controls Everything

A snake’s body temperature affects almost every aspect of its performance, including:

• Crawling speed

• Strike speed

• Digestion

• Alertness

Snakes function best within a narrow temperature range. Too cool, and they are sluggish. Too hot, and they risk overheating.

This is why snakes are often seen:

• Basking briefly in the sun

• Sheltering during the heat of the day

• Moving at specific times of year or day

In urban areas, things like concrete, brick walls, roof cavities and garden beds can create ideal thermal conditions. A snake using these spaces is not behaving unusually — it is simply using the warm and cool zones available.

Why Snakes Freeze When Discovered

When people find a snake in a backyard, garage or house, they are often surprised that it doesn’t immediately flee.

This behaviour makes sense.

In the wild, remaining still is one of a snake’s most effective survival strategies. Many predators rely on movement to detect prey. If a snake doesn’t move, it often isn’t noticed.

Inside a house, that same instinct applies. The snake doesn’t understand walls, rooms or people — it simply knows that moving could make things worse.

This is why calm, professional handling is so important. Sudden movement, crowding, or attempts to interfere can quickly escalate a situation that was otherwise stable.

Why Urban Environments Work for Snakes

Urban areas provide three things snakes need:

• Shelter

• Warmth

• Food

Rodents, frogs, birds and lizards are common in suburban environments. Gardens, drains, retaining walls and stored materials create shelter. Hard surfaces and buildings provide stable temperatures.

Snakes don’t “move into” suburbs in the way people imagine. In many cases, suburbs have been built over existing snake habitat, and the animals have simply adapted.

Because snakes are energy-efficient and inactive for long periods, they can remain unnoticed for weeks or months at a time.

Long, Thin Bodies Are an Advantage

Snakes’ long, narrow body shape plays an important role in temperature control.

Compared to rounder animals, long thin animals can:

• Heat up quickly when conditions are right

• Cool down efficiently when needed

• Access tight spaces for shelter

For warm-blooded animals, this shape would be a disadvantage because too much heat would be lost. For snakes, it works perfectly.

This body shape is one of the reasons snakes can occupy such a wide range of habitats — from deserts to forests to suburbs.

Snakes Are Not “Primitive”

A common misunderstanding is that ectothermic animals are somehow inferior or less advanced than warm-blooded animals.

That isn’t how evolution works.

Natural selection does not aim for progress or superiority. It favours traits that work in a given environment. In many situations, being ectothermic is an advantage, not a drawback.

Snakes are not failed mammals. They are highly specialised reptiles that excel at conserving energy and surviving in environments where food availability can be unpredictable.

What This Means for Snake Encounters

Understanding snake behaviour explains a lot about urban snake encounters:

• Why snakes are often found resting

• Why they seem to appear suddenly

• Why they are usually calm if left alone

• Why repeated sightings can occur in the same area

Most importantly, it explains why snakes are rarely aggressive and why attempts to interfere usually cause problems.

At Urban Reptile Removal, our approach is based on understanding behaviour, not forcing outcomes. Knowing how snakes regulate temperature and energy allows us to remove and relocate them safely, without unnecessary stress.

Final Thoughts

Snakes spend much of their lives doing very little — and that is exactly why they have survived for so long.

They are patient, efficient animals that wait for the right moment rather than burning energy constantly. In urban environments, those same traits allow them to live quietly alongside people, often unnoticed.

If you encounter a snake, the safest response is always to give it space and contact a licensed professional. Calm, informed handling protects both people and snakes.

Source note:

The behavioural and biological information in this article is drawn from Australian Snakes: A Natural History by Rick Shine