It’s the stuff of nightmares. A family in Australia realized that one of the stuffed animals on their young daughter’s bed wasn’t actually a toy: it was a real and highly venomous snake. The red-bellied black snake slithered onto the unicorn-themed bed in Jimboomba, Queensland, and tried to blend in with some toys, but it couldn’t hide for long.
A snake catcher from Snake Catchers Brisbane and Gold Coast came to the house to remove the snake, and video of the catch has gone viral. After picking up the snake with a tool and his bare hands, the catcher slipped the reptile into a bag.
Red-bellied black snakes, which are black with brown noses and red stomachs, are common in eastern Australia, and although venomous, they are probably the least dangerous slow snake on the continent, according to The Australian Museum.
Although very few red-bellied black snake bites have been reported, and very few bites have resulted in death, the museum says bites should be treated seriously because individual responses to venom can vary. Typically, a bite causes bleeding or swelling, nausea, vomiting, headache, abdominal pain and other symptoms.
These snakes will often freeze if approached and then try to flee, experts say. But if they can’t escape, they may hiss, feint, or lash out when worried. If they do attack, they may even cling on and “munch ferociously,” the museum says.
Australians are no strangers to wild and potentially dangerous animals – in some cases lurking in their homes. One earlier this year family saw a dangerous eastern brown snake in their 3-year-old son’s underwear drawer. The highly venomous snake was removed by local pest control specialist Mark Pelley, better known as ‘The Snake Hunter’.
Pelley said the snake likely entered the house when the boy’s mother was bringing in clothes from a row outside, and got into the drawer as she was folding clothes.
