Venomous snake 'bites people while they sleep'

Researchers are puzzled by the aggressive – and unusual – behaviour of Australian mulga snake

Australian mulga snake
(Image credit: TORSTEN BLACKWOOD/AFP/Getty Images)

UNLIKE most snakes, which usually only attack people if they are taken by surprise, new research has found that the Australian mulga snake has been striking at people while they sleep.

The nightmarish conclusion was reached after a study examined 27 victims of the snake and found that seven of them had been bitten in their sleep between the hours of midnight and 5am, Live Science reports.

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