The venomous snake from New South Wales, Australia was later safely removed and ushered into the bushland.
A delivery driver in Australia got the ssshock of his life when a red -bellied black snake (Pseudechis porphyriacus) hitched a ride on his car and eventually wrapped itself around the driver’s side mirror.
Ted Ogier was making a delivery for Nolans Auto Parts in New South Wales when the venomous snake crawled from under the engine bay to the driver’s side window, as if it was nothing but a thing.
"It'd come out from under the engine bay under the bonnet, it was probably a bit warm there," Mr. Ogier told ABC News Australia. Ogier phoned it in to a friend at the parts store who came to Ogier’s aid with a broom to remove the reptile.
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"I just had a broom in the back of the ute and … basically just got him off the car nice and safely, and just ushered him into the bushland off on the side of the road," co-worker Kai Pearse told ABC News Australia.
The snake was estimated to be 2.5 meters in length, and Pearse believes the reptile was seeking a place to warm up.
"Last night it got a bit cold down here on the South Coast, so I think he's got up into the engine bay of the vehicle, and he sat up on the engine to keep himself warm," Pearse said. "Then this morning Ted's taken that vehicle down to Eden and it might've got a bit too hot in there, so he wanted out."
The red -bellied black snake made it off the car safely, but not without folks on the Nolans Auto Parts Facebook page having a little fun with the encounter.
The red-bellied black snake is native to eastern Australia and feeds on other snakes, including the deadlier eastern brown snake. It is common in urban areas around the east coast of Australia and can be found in urban forests, woodlands, plains and bushlands. In addition to other snakes and reptiles, it feeds on frogs and small mammals. It also feeds on its own species.
