Florida Man Finds Boa Constrictor Hiding Inside His New Couch
A man in Florida found a boa constrictor inside his couch just days after buying it.
He had spotted the slithering snake deep inside and contacted officers with the Clearwater Police Department for help. When they arrived, they saw the snake hiding in the couch. The officers removed the piece of furniture from the man's condo and set about removing the snake.
"They...carefully extracted it from its hiding place," the Clearwater Police Department said in a Facebook post. "It was easily 5 feet long and was taken to a local pet store after being plucked from the couch. The man just got the couch the other day and he thinks the snake was hiding in the couch when it came to his house. Officers also carried the couch back in the residence for the man. It's a jungle out there sometimes."
Pictures showing the boa constrictor being removed from the couch were shared by the Clearwater Police Department.
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Red tail boa, more commonly known as boa constrictors, are a large-bodied non-venomous species of snake. While they are only about two feet long when they are born, they can grow up to 18 feet over the course of their 25-year lifespan.
They tend to feed on rodents but can eat larger animals including lizards and mammals, like cats and dogs. Smaller boas do not pose a threat to humans, but bigger animals do have large sharp teeth and can cause lacerations.
Boa constrictors are found across tropical South America, but a small population can also be found in southern parts of Florida. The species is thought to have been introduced there in the 1970s.
"The boa constrictor population established in Florida is thought to have originated from snakes imported from Colombia based on color pattern and historical data regarding the importation of these snakes," the Florida Museum says.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWCC) says boa constrictors are common in the pet trade. "There is one reproducing population of boa constrictors in Florida, in eastern Miami-Dade County."
Unlike Burmese pythons, which are considered an invasive species in Florida, boa constrictors do not appear to be expanding their range to establish a large population in the state.
The two species of snake can be identified through their differing patterns. "Boas have tan ovals separated by darker saddles and a thin line down the back of the head," the FWCC said. "Burmese pythons have angular tan blotches that resemble a giraffe pattern and a dark wedge on [the] back of the head."
