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A Louisiana woman got the shock of a lifetime when she discovered a ball python lurking in her toilet in the middle of the night.
The woman, who lives in Shreveport, had gotten up at around 1.30 a.m. to use the toilet when she spotted the serpent at the bottom of the bowl.
Steve Kennedy from snake-removal service Steve's Snaketuary arrived at the house to capture the python.
"This was the first time in over 20 years of my business that I have ever found a snake in the toilet. It's pretty rare actually," Kennedy told Newsweek.
Footage taken by the snake catcher shows the python's head emerging over the rim of the toilet. It can be seen flickering its tongue before going completely still.
The snake catcher ended up having to take the whole toilet apart in order to rescue the reptile. But the snake still appears to be hiding in the toilet after Kennedy had removed the bowl from the floor.
At the end of the footage, Kennedy can be seen holding the snake up to the camera. "We got the snake out of the toilet," he says.
Snakes are able to maneuver themselves through tight spaces. They also like compact hiding places. This means they can sometimes be found in strange areas, especially during the warm summer months when they are typically more active.
However, this type of snake is not native to the state. But, they are "pretty common in the pet trade," Kennedy said.
"That snake was not the lady's snake though. She just went to the bathroom at 1:30 and saw the snake in the toilet," Kennedy said. "I have no idea how it ended up in the toilet."
Ball pythons, also known as the royal python, are native to West and Central Africa. It is non venomous and kills its prey by constriction. This means it coils around its catch and squeezes slowly, until the prey runs out of air. The pyton then swallows it whole.
It is the smallest of all African pythons, growing to around just 3 to 5 feet.
It is not generally dangerous to humans; however any snake will lunge if it feels provoked or threatened. Snakes tend to prefer hiding and slithering away, rather than attacking.
Kennedy operates a snake removal business in several areas of Louisiana. The state is home to a number of native species, including the venomous copperhead and cottonmouth.
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About the writer
Robyn White is a Newsweek Nature Reporter based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on wildlife, science and the ... Read more