A family was horrified after a six-and-a-half-foot black mamba snake escaped from their Christmas tree.
They watched in horror as the animal moved around inside the tree before it retreated behind a speaker.
Nick Evans, a snake catcher, was called in to help the family.
Sharing the frightening experience on his Facebook page, Nick shared an image of the mamba and talked about the incident with his followers.
He joked that Santa left him with an early Christmas present.
He said he was able to catch the snake by lifting it up from its hiding place and placing it on the lounge area floor.
The family was reportedly shocked by the incident.
The black mamba is considered to be one of the world’s largest venomous snakes, and it can grow to over 10 feet long.
Its bite can cause a neurotoxin to kill a person in just 20 minutes.