A family in the western city of Essen found a nasty surprise lurking in their home on Monday evening: a grass snake almost 50 centimeters (20 inches) long had nestled itself in the basement.
The family immediately contacted the local Essen fire department and firefighters promptly detained and then released the slithery intruder.
"Presumably, the animal got into the basement through an air duct," the fire department said in a statement Monday evening.
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Stinky, 'beastly,' and harmless
After ascertaining that it wasn't dangerous, firefighters apprehended the snake using paper and a waste paper basket. The reptile, perhaps angry at being disturbed at such a late hour, then behaved in a "beastly" manner and excreted an "extremely foul-smelling liquid," according to the report from the chief firefighter.
Luckily, there was nothing further to worry about.
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The local zoological institute, TerraZoo Rheinberg, concluded it was a European grass snake after receiving digital photographs from the scene. The non-venomous species is common throughout Europe and has protected status in Germany. The firefighters later freed the snake "unharmed and unpunished."
In 2016, two Australian pythons were discovered within days of each other in a small town in northern Germany. In that case, police suspected that the slippery creatures were let loose on purpose. The pythons were not just stinky, but dangerous: as constrictors over two meters in length, they could pose a serious danger to small children and pets.
Many people fear them, some people love them. In any case, snakes are fascinating and versatile. From the most venomous snake to ones that can fly - here are the most amazing snake species that evolution has given us.
Image: Frupus/ncThe inland taipan produces the most toxic venom in the snake kingdom. Researchers estimate that one bite could kill more than 100 men. The taipan's venom is specially adapted to kill warm-blooded animals. It affects the nervous system, the blood and the muscles. The species lives in semi-arid regions in Australia and is strictly protected.
Though its venom only kills one out of 10 untreated people, the aggressiveness of this snake means it bites quickly and often. This is why the saw-scaled viper is considered the world's deadliest snake, killing the most people. Venomous snakes have diamond-shaped pupils, like cats. Non-venomous snakes have round pupils, like humans. But remember: there is no rule without exceptions!
The green anaconda is the largest snake in the world. Living in the dark, deep waters of the South American jungle, some anacondas have been reported to be up to 8.8 meters (29 feet) long. The average anaconda is only about 4 meters long. They are very robust snakes and packed with muscles which they use to kill their prey by wrapping around it and slowly suffocating it.
The green anaconda is nothing compared to the titanoboa. This pre-historic snake was a true giant. The photo shows a python creeping over a single vertebra of titanoboa cerrejonensis discovered in Colombia. Fossils suggest titanoboas could grow up to 13 meters long and weigh 1,135 kilograms (2502 pounds). Like the green anaconda, they probably lived in or very close to water, 40 million years ago.
The Barbados threadsnake is about 10 centimeters long and, according to its discoverer "about as wide as a spaghetti noodle." It feeds on termites and ant larvae and is found only on the Caribbean island of Barbados. S. Blair Hedges, a herpetologist from Pennsylvania State University, discovered the species in 2008.
Snakes have a flexible lower jaw that enables them to swallow animals twice their own size. But sometimes even that is too much for them. In 2005, in the Everglades National Park in Florida, a python exploded after trying to swallow a whole alligator. The snake was found with the alligator's tail sticking out of its midsection. Seems like someone got a bit greedy.
Just a leaf? No, it's a gaboon viper. The form and color of its head resembles a leaf perfectly, enabling the ambush predator to wait patiently for prey coming by in the African rainforests. It has the longest fangs of all snakes - up to 5 centimeters (2 inches) - and is also very venomous. The snake is not at all aggressive, though. Only very few people are bitten by it.
This guy, the scarlet kingsnake, is non-venomous. But it doesn't want other animals to know that. So it mimics the venomous coral snake which has the same tricolored pattern of black, red and white. It's a sneaky way to tell predators to get lost.
Snakes are everywhere - you can even find them at a coral reef. Some of those sea snakes are really venomous. Unlike fish, they do not have gills and need to get up to the surface regularly to breathe. Sea snakes can grow up to 3 meters (9.8 feet), but the majority only grows up to 1.5 meters. This species, the banded sea snake, regularly returns to land to digest its food, rest and reproduce.
This snake can propel itself forward by thrusting its body up and away from a tree. That's why it is commonly known as the "flying snake." It curls itself up to resemble the form of a frisbee and glide up to 30 meters wide from tree to tree. Its biological name is Chrysopelea and it feeds on lizards, rodents, birds and even bats. But it's harmless to humans.
