Massive Python Found Under a Family’s Shed — X-Ray Reveals Its Last Meal
What started as an ordinary afternoon in a New Jersey backyard quickly turned into an encounter that the homeowners were unlikely to forget.
While watering flowers, a woman in Freehold Township noticed something unusual moving slowly near her shed. At first, it may have looked like an ordinary animal passing through the yard.
Then she realized what she was looking at.
A huge Burmese python was moving across the property.
The snake was approximately 8 feet long and had a noticeably swollen middle section. It soon disappeared beneath the family’s shed, leaving the homeowners with an even bigger problem: how do you safely remove an enormous exotic snake hiding underneath a wooden structure?
The answer involved animal-control officers, a local contractor, and eventually an X-ray that revealed exactly why the python’s belly was so large.
The Strange Discovery
Leslie Daley was watering flowers in her Freehold backyard when she noticed a large, yellowish object moving slowly near the shed.
The sight became more alarming as she realized that the object was a snake.
And not a small one.
The reptile was estimated to be around eight feet long. After moving across the yard, it found its way beneath the floor of the family’s shed.
The family immediately contacted the Monmouth County SPCA for assistance.
Because of the snake’s size and location, attempting to pull it out without professional help would have been dangerous.
The Shed Had to Be Opened
Animal-control officers arrived at the property and worked with a local contractor to gain access to the area underneath the shed.
Part of the shed’s flooring had to be removed so the officers could safely reach the python.
The rescue was handled carefully. A snake this large can be powerful, and the officers needed to avoid injuring either themselves or the animal.
Eventually, the python was carefully removed from its hiding place and transported to the SPCA for examination.
But there was something else that immediately caught everyone’s attention.
The snake had a large bulge in the middle of its body.
What Had the Python Eaten?
The swollen belly naturally raised questions.
Had the snake recently eaten a large animal?
Could it have swallowed someone’s pet?
The only way to know for certain was to examine the snake.
Veterinary staff performed an X-ray.
The result solved the mystery.
The Burmese python had recently swallowed a large opossum.
The animal was still visible inside the snake’s digestive system, explaining the unusually large swelling in its abdomen.
For the rescuers, the X-ray provided an extraordinary look at what had happened shortly before the snake was discovered.
How Can a Snake Swallow Such a Large Animal?
Burmese pythons are constrictors and are capable of swallowing prey whole.
Unlike humans and many other animals, snakes don’t chew their food into small pieces. Instead, they use their flexible jaws and expandable bodies to consume prey that can appear surprisingly large compared with the snake itself.
After swallowing a meal, a snake’s body can become dramatically distended.
That was apparently what happened in this case.
The python had eaten a substantial opossum before taking refuge beneath the shed, leaving the animal with a visibly enlarged abdomen.
An Exotic Snake in New Jersey
Another question immediately emerged:
How did a Burmese python end up in a New Jersey backyard?
Burmese pythons are native to Southeast Asia. They are not native wildlife in New Jersey or the northeastern United States.
Because of that, officials suspected the snake may have been someone’s exotic pet.
Burmese pythons can be kept legally in New Jersey under applicable permitting requirements, but they are not animals that belong in the state’s natural environment.
Officials did not know exactly how this particular python came to be living beneath the family’s shed.
One possibility raised by authorities was that the snake had been abandoned after someone could no longer care for it.
A Dangerous Problem With Releasing Exotic Pets
The discovery also highlighted a broader issue involving exotic animals.
Some people purchase reptiles when they are small and manageable, without fully understanding how large and powerful they can become.
A Burmese python that begins life as a relatively small snake can eventually become an enormous animal requiring specialized housing, feeding, and care.
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