Highly Venomous Snake Found 'Wriggling Like Mad and Biting' Inside Closet

Anyone who has ever played hide-and-seek will know that a closet makes an excellent hiding place, and not just for humans, but for snakes as well.

On April 25, a woman in southeast Queensland, Australia, caught sight of a black, scaly tail disappearing into her closet.

"She shut the door, put a towel under and called me," snake catcher Gunter Glaser, of Darling Downs Snake Catchers, told Newsweek. By the time he arrived at the scene, the snake had slithered beneath a bag at the bottom of the closet. "I picked it up with gloves I use to catch small snakes," he said. "Easier and safer to grab them with these gloves."

Once it was pulled out from the shadows, Glaser identified it as a hatchling blue-bellied black snake, a species that he described as "dangerously venomous."

The reptile was not happy to have been disturbed: "[It was] wriggling madly and biting my glove," Glaser said.

Glaser shared footage of the writhing snake to his Facebook page, Darling Downs Snake Catchers 24/7. In the clip, the hatchling can be seen biting down on his glove and leaving a small pool of venom in its wake.

Blue bellied black snakes—also known as spotted black snakes—can be found across southeast Queensland and northeastern New South Wales. They are a medium-sized species, averaging roughly 4 feet in length, according to the Australian Museum.

The snakes' scales are predominately a shiny bluish-black with dark blue-grey or black bellies. However, some may be a paler grey in color with black "spots" on their scales (hence their nickname 'spotted black snake.')

Although this is a fairly shy species, they will defend themselves aggressively if they feel threatened. The venom of the blue-bellied black snake is highly toxic and targets the blood, body cells and nerves.

"If you get bitten by this little fellow and you are envenomated, that small amount of venom will need urgent medical attention," Glaser said. "Get a pressure bandage on the affected limb immediately. Call for an ambulance, then don't move the limb."

Glaser added that this snake probably entered the house through the garage in search of somewhere warm to hide. "I pointed out a gap under door leading to the garage," he said. "This needed a tight draft-stopper. Snakes can easily get into the garage through most garage doors. Also showed the homeowner gaps under concrete slabs are favorite hiding places for snakes, especially with winter coming."

If you ever find a snake on your property, the best thing to do is to call in a licensed professional to have it removed.

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

");jQuery(this).remove()}) jQuery('.start-slider').owlCarousel({loop:!1,margin:10,nav:!0,items:1}).on('changed.owl.carousel',function(event){var currentItem=event.item.index;var totalItems=event.item.count;if(currentItem===0){jQuery('.owl-prev').addClass('disabled')}else{jQuery('.owl-prev').removeClass('disabled')} if(currentItem===totalItems-1){jQuery('.owl-next').addClass('disabled')}else{jQuery('.owl-next').removeClass('disabled')}})}})})

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7r7HWrK6enZtjsLC5jqGgoKCcrnq3sc2opKito2LAr63KnmSfp6WjsW7D0aKeoKSZo7RuucCdZJuhpJ67qHnIp6qinJVisK270p6rZmlnboRzhI8%3D