THE snake breeding season continues to produce bizarre wildlife sightings across the Top End.

Reader Andrew Maynard spotted a so-called breeding ball of file snakes at Kakadu National Park over the weekend.

“You can see the female trying to get away,” he said.

“We counted five heads.” The female file snake is distinguished by being larger than the male, and can give birth to up to 17 young.

The species are common throughout Northern Australia and Papua New Guinea, and feed on large fish.

The sighting comes shortly after Territory Parks and Wildlife rangers spotted a breeding ball of six water pythons at Shoal Bay Dump.

A parks and wildlife spokesman said: “Typically, a bunch of males will track the scent of a receptive female in an effort to mate.

“The gathering males develop the ball shape in their attempts to mate with the female.”

The spokesman said the public should not provoke or disturb snakes, with many ­species being venomous.

Snakes found near homes can be removed by calling the free hotline on 1800 453 210.

Originally published as Knot a filing error, it’s sexy