‘New fear unlocked.’ Huge snake found curled up under hood of car, photos show
One Virginia driver was in for a shock when she popped the hood of her car.
In the engine compartment, all curled up, was a snake.
The driver called Virginia Wildlife Management and Control out to her Midlothian home, officials said in an April 13 Facebook post.
Wildlife officials said it was a rat snake, and as they slowly removed it from the engine compartment, they saw just how big it was.
Virginia Wildlife Management and Control said the snake was 6 feet long.
“So!... What’s in your engine compartment?” officials said on Facebook. “Believe it or not, this happens more often than you think.”
Eastern rat snakes are the only Virginia snake that can grow longer than 6 feet, according to the Virginia Herpetological Society.
“Now this is all I will think about (every time) I go get in my truck,” one commenter said. “Thanks! New fear unlocked.”
“I don’t mind them in nature but not in my whip,” another said.
“I just pooped a little,” one comment joked.
Experts say car engines provide a warm and dark space for snakes to hide, McClatchy News previously reported.
The best thing to do if you find a snake in the front of your vehicle is to bang on the hood and then give the snake time to leave on its own before calling authorities, snake expert Sandy Moore-Furneaux said in a Facebook post.
Midlothian is about 15 miles west of Richmond.
This story was originally published April 17, 2023 at 10:49 AM with the headline "‘New fear unlocked.’ Huge snake found curled up under hood of car, photos show."
