What's more frightening on a plane than finding an unsuspecting visitor on board with you? This was true for an Aeromexico flight that led to the pilot having to make an emergency landing after a snake was found on the plane.
A short video clip posted on the news showed a medium-sized snake hanging from the overhead mid-flight. Once the people on board became aware of this snake and alerted the pilot, the plane had to stop for an emergency landing so that animal control could take the stowaway to safety. In the video, you can see the snake trying to get down from the top of the overboard, but it quickly loses its grip and falls to the bottom.
No one is sure how the snake got onto the plane, but all the passengers on board seemed to have remained calm. From the voices in the background, you can hear one of the passengers tell another to grab the snake, however that would not have been a good idea in case the snake was venomous.
Due to the lighting in the video, it is unclear what type of snake was onboard that plane, but regardless of the species, it was better for the plane to land rather than for passengers to have to deal with an angry snake roaming around.
It might not be something we worry about when we get onto a plane, but a snake is not an uncommon stowaway on planes, and this is not the first incident of passengers finding a snake onboard. Snakes can enter a plane by slithering through the landing gear or even on cargo. No one on this plane recognized the snake, so it is unlikely it was someone's lost pet that escaped cargo.
Snakes will take shelter in anything they think will offer them protection from the elements outside, such as hot or cold weather. The possibility of having a snake on a plane is high enough that some airlines even clear the planes for any snakes that could be lurking around. There is also the issue planes transporting invasive snakes, making the invasive species a problem for other countries.
Some snakes that can make their way to planes might be venomous, which puts the passengers at risk. This makes it necessary for the pilot to land the plane and allow experts to remove the snake from the plane instead of risking both the snake and the people onboard lives.
With two ravenous hatchlings, this eagle mother has her claws full trying to keep them fed and safe. She soars over the ocean in time to snatch a sea snake right out of the water. It is a dangerous undertaking which puts the raptor at risk of those venomous fangs. Yet the eagle holds onto the wriggling creature with a vice-like grip, somehow managing to keep from getting bitten. The result? Fresh sea snake for dinner and filled bellies all around.
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