A massive exotic python with a swollen belly was discovered under the floor of a New Jersey family’s shed — with an X-ray revealing its gluttonous last meal.
Leslie Daley spotted the terrifying reptile slithering through her Freehold backyard as she was watering flowers, her husband, Ed, told WABC.
The Daleys then noticed the snake — identified as a roughly 8-foot-long Burmese Python — had crawled through a hole and taken shelter underneath the floor of their shed.
The family hurriedly called the officials with the Monmouth County SPCA, who removed the shed’s floorboards with the help of a local contractor.
Wild video showed the sprawling python, with a large bulge at the center of its body, being carefully plucked from its unusual home by animal control officers.
Burmese pythons are indigenous to Southeast Asia, not native to New Jersey or the US Northeast, animal experts said. The exotic snakes, however, can be owned in New Jersey with a permit, NBC New York reported.
An X-ray performed by veterinary staff revealed that the rare snake’s last meal was a large opossum, according to the Monmouth County SPCA.
The python has been placed in a secure enclosure with an experienced snake handler while officials work to find it a long-term home.
“Tets do NOT belong in the wild! Releasing them harms local wildlife, domestic pets, and the exotic animal itself,” the Monmouth County SPCA wrote in a social media post.
“If you can no longer care for a reptile, please reach out to a local rescue or shelter instead.”
