Snake Bites Woman After Slithering Inside Home, Victim Hospitalized

A woman in Australia was hospitalized after being bitten by a snake that had slithered inside her home without her noticing.

The incident took place Friday night in the Gold Coast hinterland. An emergency crew was called to the home at Natural Bridge after they were informed of a snake bite, Australia's MyGC website reported. A Queensland Ambulance spokesperson told MyGC the woman was bitten on the hand. The identity of the woman was not revealed, but reports said she is in her 50s.

Paramedics treated the woman at the scene before she was taken to the Gold Coast University Hospital. A hospital spokesperson said the woman was in a “serious but stable” condition.

It remains unclear what type of snake bit the woman, and what happened to it following the incident.

Sightings of snakes have increased in the summer months in Australia as the reptiles become more active during this time. This is also the mating season for snakes.

In October, International Business Times spoke to Joshua Castle, a snake catcher from Brisbane, as to why the reptiles show up in unusual and unexpected places.

"Smaller species often get brought inside the home by a cat, larger species end up inside by accident through cat/dog doors and/or flyscreen holes due to temperature. It may be too hot outside so they need to cool off inside on tiles. They also sneak in through doors and windows that are left open for longer than needed," Castle told IBT.

In a recent incident, a deadly snake was found crawling onto the roof of a home in Cooroy, Queensland. Snake wrangler Luke Huntley was called to the site to remove the 5-foot-long red-bellied black snake. Issuing a warning, Huntley said, "It definitely goes to show a venomous snake can absolutely climb."

Huntley posted a photo of himself with the snake while standing on a hill. The image quickly went viral.

"5ft RED BELLY!!! This red belly I caught from inside a roof in Cooroy. Quick photo on a hill and then back to the bush," he captioned the photo.