A driver in West Palm Beach was delayed by more than just car trouble this morning when a three-foot ball python was pulled from the engine of his SUV.
The driver tells us he noticed his car was overheating just after 9:00 this morning.
When he pulled over to check near 3500 Village Boulevard, he saw the snake and called police.
That's when McCarthy's Wildlife Sanctuary stepped in to remove the snake from the car.
"This one was maybe about three feet long, at most, a very common pet snake," says Mark McCarthy with McCarthy's Wildlife Sanctuary. "It is not venomous. It is a constrictor, though. But they don't get bigger than, say, five feet.
McCarthy says the snake, which is perfectly legal in Florida, may have escaped from its owner and somehow wound up taking shelter in the car.
Check out our recent story on venomous snakes that might be residing in your neighborhood.
The interactive map below shows the exotic animal permits:
- Red markers are locations where snakes are kept
- Green markers are locations where monkeys are kept
- Yellow markers are locations where other animals (zebras, foxes, raccoons, otters etc) are held.
