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Cape Town - In South Africa we have the Black Mamba as our most feared and dreaded snake, in Australia it's the Eastern brown snake, and while the name may sound slightly deceptive it also happens to be the second most deadliest snake in the world.
Which is why this viral video, showing how one Golden Coast resident in Australia was inches away from a painful death, left us slightly rattled - until his trusty pooch decided to risk life and paw to alert his owner to the slithering danger lurking beneath his garden chair.
WATCH: OMG! Pooch saves unsuspecting owner from deadly brown snake
According to the Australian Snake Park website, the eastern brown snake (Pseudonaja textilis), is responsible for the most deaths caused by snakebite in Australia.
While the snake's colours vary from tan to grey or dark brown and it may exceed 2m in length, on hot days, it can move at surprising speed, as is seen in this video.
"The eastern brown snake inhabits most of eastern Australia from the desert to the coast. This species feeds mostly on small mammals, particularly rodents. It has rapidly developed a preference for introduced rats and mice and, for this reason, is often found around farm buildings,"the website states.
"Such habits regularly bring the species in contact with humans and its bad temper and toxic venom may lead to potentially dangerous conflicts. Despite its reputation, it still performs a very useful function for farmers by controlling the numbers of introduced rodent pests.,"
With that said, it cannot hurt to brush up on what to do if and when you're confronted with the slithering or hissing creatures of the wild - or even on a beach as was the case with one Hout Bay resident, as previously reported by Traveller24.
Or as snake-loving Incidental Tourist Dawn Jorgen says, sometimes it's not the best idea to try to resolve any snake encounters yourself. Read her rather hair-raising account here.
ALSO SEE: What to know about snakes in SA this dry, summer holiday
How to keep safe:
- If you come across a snake in a residential area, do not remove it yourself.
- Call your nearest snake handler or nature conservation authority.
- Keep your distance from the snake, watch its movements and note what it is doing and where it is going.
- Clear the area and keep your animals away from the snake.
