About John Cann
Born 1938. John Cann is an Australian athlete, athletics competitor and herpetologist.
John Cann (born 15 January 1938) is an Australian athlete. He held an Australian record in hurdles as well as New South Wales state records in hurdles, discus and javelin. He was described in The Canberra Times in 1957 as one of Australia's best all-round athletes.
He also played rugby league for New South Wales Country Firsts (1959) and for the New South Wales state team (1960).
He devoted his post-athletic career to exhibiting and studying snakes and writing several books and lecturing about them. He became known as the Snake Man of La Perouse (a suburb of Sydney). In a YouTube video titled The Snakeman of La Perouse he reflects on his near-lifetime involvement with snakes, other reptiles and turtles. In 2018 he published an as-told-to autobiography titled John Cann - The Last Snake Man.
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Important facts
People in John Cann's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped John Cann's
Frequently asked questions
Who is John Cann?
Australian athlete
When was John Cann born?
John Cann was born on 15 January 1938 in Sydney.
What is John Cann's occupation?
John Cann is an athlete, athletics competitor and herpetologist.
What nationality is John Cann?
John Cann is Australian.
Sources & further reading
· DBpedia: John Cann (athlete)
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). John Cann. https://biography.guide/john-cann-athlete/
MLA: "John Cann." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/john-cann-athlete/.
Chicago: "John Cann." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/john-cann-athlete/.
Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.
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