TAMPA, Fla. — Security screeners at the Tampa International Airport made a slithery surprise inside a passenger's luggage, the Transportation Security Agency said Friday.
A 4-foot boa constrictor was found inside a carry-on bag after it was passed through an X-ray machine at the airport.
A post on the TSA's Instagram page showed the reptile coiled up next to other items including what appeared to be a laptop.
"Our officers at Tampa International Airport didn't find this hyssssssterical!" the post said.
This isn't the first time a snake has been found inside luggage being screened at a Florida airport.
A python was found hidden inside an external computer hard drive at the Miami International Airport in 2018.
Also, a dog was discovered inside a backpack that was sent through the X-ray machine at an airport in Wisconsin last month.
The TSA reminds travelersthat all pets should be brought to the security checkpoint in a hand-held travel carrier and removed just prior to the beginning of the screening process.
