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By Pandora Dewan
Senior Science Reporter
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A family in Hervey Bay, Australia, received a rather unwanted gift this Christmas after their son found a deadly snake slithering underneath their Christmas tree on Friday afternoon.
"The young child alerted mum straight away though she wasn't quite sure if the child was joking but she still took it seriously and checked," snake catcher Drew Godfrey, of Hervey Bay Snake Catchers in Queensland, told Newsweek. "Once she noticed the snake she called us immediately."
Godfrey shared footage of the incident to his YouTube page, Hervey Bay Snake Catchers.
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The snake in question was an eastern brown snake, one of the most venomous snake species on the planet. "This is the second most venomous terrestrial (land) snake on earth," Godfrey said. "It's the species that is responsible for the most fatalities in Australia out of any other snake [...] If someone, especially the kids were to accidentally step on it, then there is a high probability that the snake will bite."
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Eastern brown snakes can be found throughout eastern and southern Australia and, because their natural habitat overlaps with some of the country's most populated areas, it is not uncommon for people to find them in their homes.
"I believe it had gotten in by going under the far door as there was a gap along the bottom," Godfrey said. "Snakes follow walls and edges along as they feel safe and will often head for the corner of a room if they feel trapped of threatened so they have multiple walls to protect them. The tree happened to be in a corner and with all of the presents around the bottom this became the safest and most natural feeling place in the house to try to hide out from the big animals getting around (humans)."
This particular snake was between 1.5 and 2 feet in length. "[This] is actually a very dangerous size to handle being so small and so fast," Godfrey said. "It can get to my hand quicker than an adult. Juveniles are also more skittish and quick to react."
However, despite their fearsome reputation, eastern brown snakes, like most snakes, are not aggressive and will only bite if it feels harassed or threatened. "[It] would rather flee than fight and it won't bite for no reason," Godfrey said. "As long as no one tries to interfere with the animal they are safe. Snakes are scared of us, that's why it tried to hide among the presents. It doesn't want to bite anyone but if it gets harassed it will defend itself."
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This year, Godfrey said that even more snakes were making their way into people's homes than usual, thanks to an exceptionally dry summer in Australia. "The snake was most likely just searching for water," he said. "We are see a higher than usual number of snakes coming into houses and other wet areas such as pools."
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