Python startles South Florida beachgoer

HIGHLAND BEACH (FOX 13) - A Palm Beach County man got a slithery surprise while taking a walk on the beach earlier this week.

Aaron Conklin of Boca Raton was strolling along Highland Beach when he ran into an 8- to 10-foot-long Burmese python.

Although the 30-pound snake isn't poisonous and is generally docile, South Florida's beaches aren't its normal habitat.

FWC brought the snake to the Busch Wildlife Sanctuary in Jupiter, where they scanned it for a chip. So far, it doesn't appear to belong to anyone so the mystery remains: Where did the constrictor come from?

"The fact that it's not chipped means that someone had it illegally," the sanctuary's David Hitzig-Busch observed. "The question is, did it escape or did someone decide they couldn't take care of it anymore and let him go."

Until the investigation is complete, the snake will call the sanctuary home.