Family finds rattlesnake coiled on their couch after getting dinner, Texas video shows

A Texas family took a dinner break while watching a Dallas Mavericks game at home, but when they came back, a rattlesnake had taken over the sofa, video shows.

Their seats hadn’t even gone cold before the snake must have slithered onto the cushions, according to Jacob Gamble, who shared the video taken at his home near Decatur in an April 22 social media post.

“We were sitting there 10 (minutes) earlier watching the Mavs and went inside to grab some pizza. When I came back out it politely warned me that that was it’s spot now!” Gamble said.

As Gamble approaches the snake, coiled up in front of a pillow reading “Live The Life You Imagined,” it begins to rattle its tail in warning.

A voice calls out from behind the camera, “Do not get close to that snake,” and another cries “Oh my God, dad, stop.”

Gamble posted the video in a Facebook group dedicated to helping North Texas residents identify snakes, and the couch invader was ID’d as a timber rattlesnake.

Timber rattlesnakes are “highly venomous,” according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. And despite what the behavior of the snake on Gamble’s couch might suggest, most tend to “rely on their ability to blend into their surroundings to avoid confrontation.”

The snake’s stay at the Gamble home was short-lived, Gamble told McClatchy News.

“It had to be put down to protect my family and pets,” he said, adding that he would have liked a more live-and-let-live approach, but that wasn’t a realistic option. “At the time, it was too late in the evening and (I) couldn’t find anyone to come deal with it.”

This story was originally published April 28, 2022 at 7:26 AM with the headline "Family finds rattlesnake coiled on their couch after getting dinner, Texas video shows."