MIAMI — A 7-foot-python sneaked onto a sailboat near Indian Key and it wasn’t discovered until the crew docked on the other side of the state, according to the Marco Island Police Department.
The awkward discovery was made on Friday in the boat’s shower after Sandy Skwirut and Jim Hart of Chicago docked at Rose Marina on Marco Island, Winknews.com reports.
“They were pulling into our dock and getting tied up, and the female occupant of the boat found the snake, I believe in the shower of the boat, and she was face to face with the snake,” Rose Marina General Manager Dan High told the news outlet.
Rose Marina called the incident as “a first” and noted the “unwelcome stowaway” was found moments after the 42-foot boat was tied into a transient slip.
“We believe the 7 (foot) python slithered aboard about 20 miles south of Rose Marina when the vessel was at anchor last night near Indian Key (on the edge of the Everglades),” the marina wrote on Facebook.
“Marco Island Police responded and made quick work of wrangling the reptile. ... Out of an abundance of caution the vessel was removed from the marina.”
Marco Island police transferred the invasive snake into the custody of a “local wildlife handler,” according to a news release. Photos showed the irritated serpent tightly wrapped around an officer’s forearm, with its mouth open.
News of the discovery prompted a guessing game over how it got aboard, and some cited it as proof of how the invasive species can “island hop” via boats.
“Out of an abundance of caution, the vessel should have been towed into a naval missile testing range,” one person said on Facebook.
It is at least the second time this year a python has been found on a boat in Florida. In May, an “8-foot-long-plus” python was captured on a boat in Coral Gables, the Miami Herald reported.
The U.S. Geological Survey says there is no evidence of pythons are swimming from the Everglades to the Keys. But they may be capable of it, officials say.
“Because pythons regularly escape or are released from captivity, it can be difficult to determine whether a snake encountered in the Keys arrived there by swimming from the mainland or was a former captive pet on the island,” the USGS says.
“Given the python’s apparent ability to disperse via salt water, however, island residents and resource managers need to stay vigilant.”
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