HONOLULU (AP) — A snake stowed away in a man's bag and remained undetected until it completed the trip from Florida to Hawaii.
KGMB-TV reported Wednesday that the southern black racer snake slithered out of the man's backpack when he arrived on Maui Monday.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture says the 20-year-old Virginia man was not aware of the animal until it emerged after he arrived at a vacation rental property.
Officials say the non-venomous snake measured about a foot (0.3 meters) long and a quarter-inch (0.63 centimeters) in diameter.
The property owner alerted police, who captured the snake with state Department of Land and Natural Resources personnel.
The man says he did not intentionally bring the racer snake when he traveled from Florida, where the species is common.