A massive python with a suspiciously swollen belly was discovered lurking beneath a New Jersey family’s shed—and an X-ray later revealed exactly what the serpent had for its last meal.
Leslie Daley was watering flowers in her Freehold backyard when she spotted the terrifying reptile slithering through the grass, her husband Ed told WABC. The couple quickly realized the roughly 8-foot-long Burmese python had crawled through a hole and taken shelter under the floor of their shed.
The Daleys immediately called the Monmouth County SPCA, who brought in a local contractor to remove the shed’s floorboards. Wild video captured the moment animal control officers carefully extracted the snake, its midsection bulging noticeably.
An X-ray performed by veterinary staff confirmed the python’s gluttonous last meal was a large opossum, according to the Monmouth County SPCA. The snake is now in a secure enclosure with an experienced handler while officials search for a long-term home.
“Exotic pets do NOT belong in the wild! Releasing them harms local wildlife, domestic pets, and the exotic animal itself,” the SPCA wrote on social media, urging owners to contact rescues instead of abandoning reptiles.
How did a Burmese python—a species native to Southeast Asia—end up under a suburban New Jersey shed?
