Snake Found Tangled in Tailwheel of Coast Guard Helicopter

A U.S. Coast Guard officer had a shock when he realized a snake had stowed away on one of their helicopters.

The U.S. Coast Guard Station Clearwater in Florida posted a picture of the stowaway serpent on Facebook, explained it had wrapped itself tightly around the tailwheel of the equipment.

"This unexpected stowaway was found napping on a Jayhawk tailwheel," the U.S. Coast Guard Station Clearwater said in a Facebook post on February 11. "He reluctantly departed the scene when confronted."

Petty Officer 2nd Class Cole Lindvall, who snapped the photo, made the discovery on February 9 during an inspection of the helicopter, the Miami Herald reported.

Lindvall, however, was not keen on snakes. For this reason, another officer removed it from the aircraft.

Following a closer look of the snake, it was discovered to be a corn snake, also known as the red rat snake. These snakes are bright in color and widespread across Florida. Luckily, these snakes are not venomous, meaning they pose very little danger to humans. They are constrictors, which means they kill prey by coiling themselves around it and suffocating it, before swallowing it whole. This corn snake was about 2 feet in length, the Miami Herald reported.

"The snake was removed fairly quickly by another crew member on duty who wasn't afraid of snakes. It was released into the grass away from the hangar," officials from the Coast Guard told McClatchy News.

In the U.S. snakes are most commonly sighted during the warmer, summer months, as this is when the cold-blooded reptiles are most active. However, they can be sighted all year round.

It is not uncommon to spot serpents in strange places, as they will often slither into properties in search of shelter, or are attracted to certain areas when they smell prey.

The picture of the stowaway reached thousands on social media, with many amused Facebook users commenting on the photo.

"Red Rat Reporting for Duty, Sir!!!!! " one Facebook user commented.

"Beautiful harmless Corn snake Hopefully he's ok!" someone else said.

Some other social media users expressed that they are also not fans of snakes, just like Lindvall.

"Nopitty nope nope noooope!" another social media user wrote.

"Even though I am deathly afraid of heights, I would not have needed a parachute to jump, had that creature been found mid-flight... Ugh!" a Facebook user said.

"It's his helicopter now, non venomous or not." someone else said.

Although snakes can appear fearsome to people, it is very rare that they attack unless directly provoked. They are also important to local ecosystems, meaning it is important to conserve the native species.

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