An Australian woman survived the fright of a lifetime after discovering one of the world’s most venomous snakes dozing in her bed.
A post on the “Zachery's Snake and Reptile Relocation” Facebook* page showed the moment professional snake catcher Zachary Richards came face-to-face with the deadly six-foot long Eastern Brown snake near Queensland's Gold Coast.
"When I arrived, she [the resident] was waiting outside for me, and I went inside to the bedroom that the snake was in, and she had the door shut with a towel underneath, so it couldn't get out," Richards said. "I pushed the door open, and it was lying in bed looking at me."
The Eastern Brown snake holds the dubious distinction of causing the most human fatalities of any of Australia’s snake species. Without being treated, a bite by an Eastern Brown will lead to paralysis and ultimately death by heart failure and shuttered lungs.
However, according to Richards, it’s likely that this particular specimen’s motives were more benign. "The snake would have probably come in through an open door to seek shelter as it was quite warm outside that day, or it just wanted a nice comfortable bed to sleep in," he explained.