Nahant Police stumbled across a somewhat unexpected find last week. 

According to Sergeant Matthew Morneau, a reserve officer out on community rounds Wednesday came across what seemed to be more than just an average garden snake. 

Noting the creature’s unusually large size, the officer sent a picture to Morneau, the shift supervisor on duty, and the two determined it was most likely someone’s lost pet. 

“Based on that picture, it seemed disproportionately large for a local snake,” Morneau said. “At that point in time, it was right along the foundation of a house, and as we got a better look at it, it appeared to be four-and-half, five feet long.”

Found near a Spring Road home, the snake had burrowed into a hole near the base of the house. 

“We were like, all right, somebody clearly isn’t native to the area. Someone has to be missing one of these,” Morneau said. 

The department posted a picture of the reptile on Facebook along with the caption: “While it’s been a while since we’ve posted about a lost pet, we certainly did not think this would be the next one. That being said, anyone missing a snake?”

The post has since accumulated more than two dozen comments and several shares from community members eager to help bring the reptile home. Through the power of social media, it wasn’t long before family members of the owner were contacted about their missing pet’s whereabouts.

“We were able to identify the owner and made an attempt to rescue the snake the following day, but due to the heat, there was no way that snake was going to come out,” Morneau said, adding he’d been informed the snake is a ball python — a non-venomous species native to West and Central Africa. 

Because it appears the snake has yet to be rescued, Morneau said officers are taking their cue from its owner — who said the pet is more likely to come out at night — and keeping their eyes on the area. 

This isn’t the department’s first encounter with wildlife. 

Morneau said that despite Nahant’s unusual geographical layout, the small peninsula often sees a wide variety of species, although perhaps none as unusual as the ball python. 

“The amount of wildlife we have here is kind of strange,” he said. “We’ve had deer in the past, (and) we routinely have coyotes and skunks. … It never ceases to amaze me what kind of animals show up over here, so this one was like, ‘all right, how can we have a little fun with this one?’ because this was kind of unique, hence the Facebook post. 

“Usually we post lost dogs or someone will call up and ask us to post about (their missing cat), but this was definitely a first.”