Python hides in toilet, bites woman

QUEENSLAND, Australia -- If you are one of those people who doesn't turn on the light when you get up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, this story might change things for you.

Mary Richards from Queensland, Australia, says last week she walked into her dark bathroom and sat down on the toilet.

Seconds later, this happened: "I felt this sharp tap on my bottom along with some pain," Richards said.

It turns out that "sharp tap" was actually a bite from a python that had been curled up in the bowl.

After recovering from the shock, Richards shut the lid and called in professional snake handlers.

Unbelievably, they told her it's not uncommon for snakes to sneak into people's toilets, down under.

However, they admitted it was rare that one actually bit a sitting human, saying the python was likely more frightened than Richards.