With the Snake and Reptile Show always a favourite for families, children got a first-hand look at how dangerous these wild animals can be.

During the first show of the evening, Mr Graham had just finished draping a 12-foot coastal carpet python around the neck of some eager children when it turned on him.

Mr Graham said the snake probably had enough of the situation and just decided to have a go at biting into his right hand.

“They have about 140 teeth that go about two or three millimetres deep,” he said.

Coastal carpet pythons are native to Australia and are found along the north-east corner of NSW and all along the coast of Queensland.

They range westward well past the Great Dividing Range.

The species is known to grow up to 14 feet in length, although average length seems to be around seven to nine feet.

The life span of this snake is unknown and figures from experts vary greatly, but it is believed that this snake can live in excess of 100 years. Captive-bred animals, which grow at a much faster rate, have been known to live up to 50 years.

Mr Graham treated himself at the St John Ambulance tent, cleaning the small puncture wounds with a saline solution.

An hour after the incident, Mr Graham laughed off the situation, suggesting it was all just part of the job.

“Yeah, these things happen,” he said.

“My hand is only a little sore now from the pressure of the bite.”