Video: Snake startles Florida driver who mistook it for a python and called deputies

A snake is back in its natural habitat after curling up inside a car engine in Southwest Florida.

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office got a call earlier this week from someone saying a 15-20-foot python was entangled in the engine compartment of a vehicle in Lehigh Acres. 

When a sergeant, who is a licensed python contractor showed up, he discovered a much smaller, red rat snake underneath the hood of the car.  

He said the reptile was soaking up heat in the engine bay. 

READ: Venomous snake calls on the rise for animal trappers in Tampa Bay area

The snake was safely removed and released in a nearby wooded area. 

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