Matthew Concepcion was one of the nearly 1,000 participants from 32 states, Canada and Latvia who participated in the 2022 Florida Python Challenge. He captured 28 Burmese pythons, winning the $10,000 ultimate grand prize.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Firefighters outside of Phoenix responded to a bizarre call Wednesday when a boa constrictor was spotted slithering through the engine of a pickup truck.
The truck’s owner told members of the Scottsdale Fire Department that he had driven the vehicle from Mesa to Scottsdale when he noticed the snake’s head poking out from under the vehicle.
“I thought it was a grocery bag or some sort of plastic. Maybe I ran over something,” Aaron Ricks told FOX 10 during an interview. “So, I walked back over to the truck to see what it was, and was totally shocked to see this big ol’ snake looking down and looking right back at me.”
MASSIVE BURMESE PYTHON CAUGHT SLITHERING THROUGH SWAMPS OF SOUTH FLORIDA
In photos released by the fire department, first responders can be seen searching the undercarriage of the pickup until they successfully captured the snake.
The animal appeared to be at least 5 feet long and was a light brown color with a series of dark markings along its back.
“Dispatchers were hilarious,” Ricks told FOX 10. “They were like, ‘Excuse me, what are you reporting?’ and they said, ‘We’ll send the fire department out.’ They came out, and I think at first they were very skeptical. They said they didn’t believe there would be a snake in the truck.”
Firefighters said they placed the snake in a box and turned it over to the Arizona Herpetological Society.
There is no word on how the snake ended up under the truck, but first responders believe it was likely someone’s pet that either escaped or was improperly discarded.
Boa constrictors are considered to be an invasive species in the U.S. and are a threat to native ecosystems.