Terror as Couple Find Deadly 4ft Snake on Door Lock: 'Absolutely Petrified'

There is a widely held belief that venomous snakes cannot climb. So, when a couple in Brisbane, Australia, saw a deadly red-belly black snake slithering along the top of their 6 foot fence, they were "absolutely petrified."

Snake catcher Josh Castle, of Josh's Snake Catching, was called to remove the venomous visitor, which he said had found itself in a very precarious position.

"They found the snake from inside the backyard—thankfully—as it was right on the latch to unlock the fence from the outside," Castle told Newsweek. "If they opened the gate from the other side, a bite could have very well taken place—the snake's head was right at the latch."

Photos of the incident show the 4 foot snake stretched along the top of the tall fence with its head wrapped around the latch. Castle said that he was unsure how the snake had made its way up there, but suspects it had slithered over from the neighbor's fence, which was shorter and easier to climb.

Red-bellied black snakes are found along the east coast of Australia and can be recognized by their black shiny bodies and distinctive red underbellies, from which they derive their name. The species can grow to around 5 to 6-and-a-half feet on average and is usually found in moist habitats, like swamps and streams, according to the Australian Museum.

The snake carries a potent venom that attacks the blood and muscles. Bites from this species are rarely fatal, but they can still inflict serious damage and should therefore be treated with immediate medical attention.

In a survey of snakebite patients, conducted between 2005 and 2015 and published by the Medical Journal of Australia, red-bellied black snakes were responsible for 16 percent of all identified snake bites, the third most frequent bite of any snake species. However, this may partly be because red bellies are one of the most frequently encountered snake species on Australia's east coast.

For the most part, this species tends to avoid aggressive encounters. "Temper is generally pretty good with red bellies," Castle said. "Usually a fairly chilled out snake, but you still don't want to put your hand on its head, that's for sure."

Meanwhile, Castle shared photos of the encounter to his Facebook page, Brisbane Snake Catcher—Josh's Snake Catching, on Monday, although the incident originally took place in April of 2021.

So far, the post has received a number of concerned comments from his followers.

"That's a huge snake, he would inflict massive amounts of venom," one Facebook user wrote.

"New form of security system," wrote another user.