Red-bellied black snake venom can cause "anticoagulant and myotoxic effects," including bleeding and/or swelling at the bite site, nausea, vomiting, headache, abdominal pain and more in extreme cases.

Despite this, the museum reiterated that very few deaths have ever been recorded from the red-bellied black snake, and that, "for its size, the red-bellied black snake is probably the least dangerous elapid snake in Australia."

While there is a risk of serious illness, most bite victims only experience mild symptoms, though officials reiterated that anyone who is bitten should seek treatment immediately.

This is not the first time that a reptile has been found in a precarious situation.

In the United States, police officers in Cibolo, Texas, were called last week when a 10-foot-long python was found under someone's car.

This snake, though, turned out to be a pet, which was soon reunited with its owners after being turned over to wildlife control.

Another escaped python, also a pet, was found in a neighbor's garden in Bozeman, Mont., having escaped the same day that her owner moved out of her home.

"We relocated her to a different enclosure for the day," the owner said. It's one thing when your dog is missing, but when your snake -- which is longer than you are -- goes missing you wonder, what are people going to do when they see her.

Copyright 2022 by United Press International