A teenager in Western Australia got a shock when she opened her top drawer and almost grabbed the snake hiding inside.
She was clearing out her dresser and preparing to move when she encountered the meter-long young brown snake on Sunday.
“It was quite terrifying,” her mother, Angela Alexander, told 7NEWS.com.au.
Watch the latest news and stream for free 7plus >>
“We’re moving, so my 17-year-old daughter went into her room to clear out her drawers and pack.
“She was just grabbing clothes, as she was grabbing more, she saw something moving and she noticed it and screamed,” she said.
Alexander said her biggest phobia was snakes, and the most terrifying part of the discovery was that she had no idea when and how the snake got inside the house, she added.
“That’s what makes it so scary,” she said. “It was a sleepless night last night.”
Luckily, Alexander’s husband Mark is a snake keeper who came straight home after an urgent call and took the drawer out before moving the beast inside.
“He realized it was quite aggressive since it had been disturbed,” Alexander said.
She posted a picture of the snake in an identification group on Facebook
“At first glance, (Mark) thought it was a black-headed python,” Alexander said. “[Then]he thought it was a western brown, but we wanted to make sure first,” Angela said.
Snake watchers were quick to confirm that it is a venomous species.
“It’s a beautiful western brown snake (pseudonaja mengdeni) – highly venomous and capable of a dangerous bite if touched or provoked,” one person wrote.
“Western brown snakes are generally fast-moving, nervous snakes,” he said Australian Museum.
“They will take cover quickly if given the opportunity. However, if caught, these snakes will rear up in a typical S pose and face the threat, often with their jaws wide open.”
“The snake’s fangs are quite short (only 2-3 mm); However, the venom is very potent and has high neurotoxic and hemolytic activity. A bite from a brown snake species should be treated as life threatening and medical attention should be sought immediately.”
Alexander was glad that the situation did not end differently.
“It’s scary not knowing about this, my poor daughter, it could have been a lot worse,” she said.
“You just never know where they are, be vigilant.”