Deadly Black Mamba Found Under Family Christmas Tree: 'Shocked'

A family were left "rather shocked" after finding a deadly black mamba hiding beneath their Christmas tree in Queensburgh, South Africa. The six-and-a-half foot snake was seen slithering up and down the festive ornament before it curled up behind a speaker at its base.

"Santa left me an early Christmas present," snake catcher Nick Evans said in a Facebook post about the incident. "I do wish it had waited for me on the tree. That would have made for some cool photos!"

Comments underneath the post suggested that other Facebook users were less enthusiastic about the venomous reptile.

"Christmas would be canceled after this," said one user.

"Someone in that house was on Santa's naughty list," said another.

The black mamba is one of the deadliest snakes in the world. Its bite can release a fast-acting neurotoxin that can kill a human in as little as 20 minutes by shutting down the victim's nervous system.

The snakes are native to Africa and can be found in savannas, rocky hills and open woodlands. However, they may also slither into residential areas while looking for prey, such as rats and feral kittens, and sometimes wander into people's houses when they are looking for a place to hide.

Black mambas are fairly shy snakes, although they can become aggressive when cornered.

Evans said that this shyness had led the black mamba into the family's house in the first place.

"The snake was outside when it was disturbed by the gardener. It then moved away from him, out of fear, saw the open door, and ducked inside.

"From there, it went up the Christmas tree and onto a small shelf above it. Then, while I was on my way, it slithered back down the tree and hid at the bottom, behind the speaker."

This is not the first snake to find itself underneath a Christmas tree this year. Earlier in December, a non-venomous Keelback snake was found hiding among the presents at a home in Hervey Bay in Queensland, Australia, and a few weeks later a cat in the same area brought its family an early gift in the form of a deadly red-bellied black snake.

However, rest assured: Evans said that it was an unusual place to find a snake, at least in South Africa.

"It's one of the more amusing places I've found a mamba," he said.

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