New Orleans, La. - Kent Strader and his friends took a few snapshots of a snake they spotted in their Uptown Triangle neighborhood. "I nearly stepped on it and once I saw it, I became frightened," said Strader.
The snake was seen near the corner of Pearl and Burdette about a month and a half ago.
Just last week, neighbors say a snake, six feet long was spotted on a drain right in front of Benjamin Banneker Elementary School. It was seen slithering into the drain in the 400 block of Burdette.
If it's the same snake, what kind of snake is it? Is it dangerous? Nick Hanna is the Assistant Curator of Reptiles and Amphibians at the Audubon Zoo.
Even though initial reports called the snake a boa constrictor, it could have been a common city snake. "It wouldn't surprise me if it was something local that people just misidentified," said Hanna.
Hanna says Texas rat snakes are fairly common in the city and grow to up to 6 feet long. "They tend to live in trees, but occasionally they will come to the ground in search of food or prey," said Hanna. "They're a harmless species. They're not venomous."
It turns out that the snake that was photographed isn't a Texas rat snake or a boa. Hanna says was a ball python. "Chances are it was somebody's pet that they either let go or escaped on it's own," said Hanna.
The ball python is a typically docile, non-venomous snake that curls into a ball when it's stressed or frightened. That's why it's called ball python.
There are snakes in the city. Some are native to the area, some are on the run. If you see a native snake, expert suggest you leave it alone. They say snakes are scared of people.
If you see a suspected exotic pet on the loose, you can report it to the city of New Orleans or the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
Hanna says the python should not be considered a threat to people. He says if it's not captured, the snake will likely not survive the winter in New Orleans.
