Texas Woman Finds Huge Venomous Rattlesnake in Toilet

One woman found something terrifying when she walked into her toilet, and it was far worse than discovering the person who went before hadn't flushed.

In a picture posted to a Facebook group named Snake Identification—where people help deduce the species of snake that others have spotted—Eve Pearson showed the unsavory toilet scene, with a huge serpent stretched across the toilet floor. "Opening door only had to pee and this will make you clean out pants nah I will pass," she captioned the picture.

"It was in Haskell TX [Texas]," Pearson told Newsweek. The species of snake was worked out by someone in the comments: "Western Diamond-Backed Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox). Venomous. These beneficial animals are best respected and admired from a safe distance."

Western diamond-backed rattlesnakes are venomous vipers found across the U.S. Southwest and Mexico. Rattlesnake bites can be deadly, but they rarely attack humans unless provoked. The reptiles are named after the characteristic keratin rattles at the end of their tails, which they vibrate to make a hissing noise when threatened. These snakes can grow to between 4 and 6 feet long, and live for up to 20 years, according to the National Parks Service.

Western diamond-backed rattlesnakes are responsible for more human bites than any other rattlesnake, but luckily their venom is less potent than that of other snakes, with untreated bites having a mortality rate of only 10 to 20 percent.

Their venom contains proteolytic enzymes, which destroy proteins in tissues and muscles, as well as hemotoxins, which destroy blood vessels and blood cells. Bites can cause intense pain, as well as internal bleeding and severe swelling. If antivenom is given swiftly, a patient can recover swiftly.

There are around 8,000 venomous snake bites in the U.S. every year, according to the Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center, resulting in between eight and 15 deaths. Of these bites, about 800 are from rattlesnakes, according to the California Poison Control Center.

To avoid coming into contact with Western diamond-backed rattlesnakes, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department advises keeping lawns trimmed (as snakes prefer longer grass), as well as always wearing shoes outside. You should remove or steer clear of falling logs or piles of rocks or debris where snakes might be hiding.

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