'Highly Venomous' Snake Found Hiding in Toilet

Finding a deadly snake in the toilet might be something out of a nightmare, but it became a reality for one family in Australia.

Ozzie Lawrence, a snake catcher who goes by the name OzCapture Snake Relocation on Facebook, was called out to a home in the state of Queensland after the family discovered a venomous red-bellied black snake lurking in their loo.

These snakes are a different species from the red-bellied snake found across the U.S., and are one of the most commonly encountered types in Australia.

"Occasional [sic] you get that new situation or scenario on a callout that instantly becomes one for the memory bank and a story to tell down the track. Does it honestly get any more 'Aussie' than this?" Lawrence wrote in a Facebook post on Saturday, sharing pictures of the snake.

"What made this callout so different for myself at Greenbank was that this wasn't your typical snake in a home, bathroom or toilet. This was a stunning red-bellied black snake (highly venomous) just resting/sleeping on the toilet itself under the seat and between the cistern."

Red-bellied black snakes are native to eastern Australia, and are named for their characteristic black backs and reddish underbelly. They grow to lengths of around 4 or 5 feet long and are usually shy around humans, only attacking when they feel threatened.

The snakes are venomous and their bites can cause painful symptoms such as swelling, bleeding and even dying body tissue around the area of the bite. Other symptoms include nausea, vomiting, headache, abdominal pain, diarrhea, sweating and muscle pain.

The murine median lethal dose (LD50), which is the amount of venom per kilogram required to kill 50 percent of mice that have been administered the venom, is 2.52 milligrams per kilo. A snake usually delivers around 37 milligrams of venom per bite, with a record of 94 the most to have been recorded.

Deaths from these snake's bites are very rare: while 16 percent of victims between 2005 and 2015 were bitten by a red-bellied black snake, none died.

"Red-bellied black snakes are potentially dangerous, but they've never caused a fatality since records began over 60 years ago," Lawrence told Newsweek.

Despite this, it's important to seek medical attention immediately in the case of a red-bellied black snakebite, as with any snakebite. Antivenom is available for the treatment of this species' bites, and prompt administration of it greatly reduces the risk of severe effects.

"I inspected the inside of the home in its entirely and the most probable entry point was under the automatic garage/carport doors," Lawrence commented under his Facebook post.

Lawrence captured the snake and removed it from the house, releasing it back into the wild.

"I caught it as I usually do with my hands and put it in snake-catching bag and released to further away bushland away from homes, busy roads, schools and businesses," Lawrence said.

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