Snake gets tangled around tailwheel of Coast Guard helicopter in Florida

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CLEARWATER, Fla. (WFLA) - You've heard of "Snakes on a Plane," but what about a snake on a helicopter? Well, that was the case for Coast Guard crews in Florida.

Last week, the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater found a snake had trespassed onto its chopper.

"This unexpected stowaway was found napping on a Jayhawk tailwheel," USCG Clearwater wrote in a Facebook post. "He reluctantly departed the scene when confronted ????????."

According to the Miami Herald, the red-colored reptile was found on Feb. 9 while Petty Officer 2nd Class Cole Lindvall was doing a post-flight inspection of the MH60 helicopter.

The snake was later identified as a 2-foot-long corn snake. The snake species, which are native to Florida, can grow up to be 4 feet in length and are also referred to as chicken snakes and red rat snakes. They are not venomous.

According to the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, corn snakes can typically be found "in wooded groves, rocky hillsides, meadowlands, woodlots, rocky open areas, tropical hammocks, barns and abandoned buildings."