Shock as Man Finds 6-Foot Python Coiled Under Car Hood: 'Can't Stay There'

After having problems with his car, a man in Hervey Bay, Australia, was "very surprised" to find a 6-foot python beneath his car hood.

The vehicle had been parked on the man's front driveway on Wednesday afternoon when the reptile was discovered. "The snake probably thought it seemed like a nice warm and secure spot to have a sleep," Drew Godfrey of Hervey Bay Snake Catchers told Newsweek. He said the man had gone to check the car battery when he made the discovery.

"He was very surprised but not frightened, as this species is nonvenomous," the snake catcher said.

Coastal carpet pythons, a subspecies of the carpet python, are mostly found along the east coast of Australia. Godfrey said they are very common in Hervey Bay, a coastal city in the southern state of Queensland.

"They are the most common species that we catch," he said. "This one was the first of two just for that day, but we catch several or more each week. In summer, we may catch four or five in a single day."

The snake was "not too fussed" about being caught and had a very placid temperament. "It didn't try to bite or get defensive in any way, and this is because I caught it in a manner that was gentle and I didn't spook or hurt it," Godfrey said. "For this reason, it was just more curious of me."

In footage of the incident taken by Godfrey, the python is seen curled up on top of the car's engine. "Hey mate, you can't stay there," he can be heard saying.

According to the Queensland Department of Environment and Science, carpet pythons can grow to over 13 feet long, although they rarely exceed 8 feet.

Because they are nonvenomous, they kill their prey by constriction. "Carpet pythons are incredibly strong," Godfrey previously told Newsweek. "They ambush their prey and bite them before coiling around the animal's body and suffocating it."

While the snake's bite lacks venom, it can still inflict serious harm on humans as well as its prey. The reptiles tend not to bite unless they feel harassed, but if you find one on your property, avoid handling them and seek help from an expert, according to Godfrey.

He released the snake in some nearby bushland, away from people and their property. At the end of his video, the snake can be seen slithering off into the bushes.