A HUGE snake lurking under a south-east Queensland apartment complex could be the most dangerous job yet for seasoned snake catcher Tony Morrison.
The Redlands snake catcher said he was asked by residents of a Cornubia address to remove the creature which had been hanging around their yard.
When they sent photos, he discovered it was an eastern brown snake, the second most venomous species in the world.
"Judging by the photos it's probably one of the biggest, if not the biggest that I have ever seen in my 25 years," he said.
"Normally they're a metre, metre and a half long. This guy is bigger than me."
The snake had wriggled under a house slab by the time he arrived at the address and Mr Morrison said he was waiting for a call to say it had emerged so he could remove it.
"We've been waiting for a few weeks for this one to pop all the way out," he said.
"Then I'm going to head out there and tackle this guy head on, him and me.
"I've got to get him away from his hole and try to get a hold of tail and get him in a bag."
The eastern brown snake has caused more deaths than any other species in Australia.
"The plan is don't get bitten," Mr Morrison said.
"With a brown snake of that size, you're really not going to come out the other end.
"We've got one of the most life-threatening jobs out there."
Mr Morrison said brown snakes could get aggressive when cornered and it was important to treat them with extreme caution.
"On my Facebook page we videotape me catching the snakes but you'll notice a lack of videos of brown snakes," he said.
"That's because when it comes time to getting a brown snake, we put all that camera stuff aside, we just focus 100 per cent on the job and we take it so seriously."
He urged residents who had snakes in their homes or yards to take a photo from a safe distance and sent it to him so it could be identified.
The advice comes after a woman in her 20s was taken to Redland Hospital in a stable condition after she was reportedly bitten by a snake at a Capalaba address on Wednesday night.
Mr Morrison said Queensland's warm weather meant snakes were active year-round but the cooler months could bring a slight decrease in snake activity.
Winter was a good time for residents to clear their yards and ensure debris like corrugated iron was off the ground.
"The big advice is never go near snakes and never try to kill them, because that's when most snake bites happen."
