Venomous snake found in grocery store taken in by reptile organization

    BEVERLY, Massachusetts (WCVB) -- A foot-and-a-half-long snake was way out of its comfort zone Sunday and somehow ended up inside a banana shipment at a Market Basket in Manchester, New Hampshire.

The small, wiry, and mildly venomous snake likely hitched a ride to the supermarket from South America.

"It's a very unusual thing," Rainforest Reptile employee Mack Ralbovsky said.

A Market Basket worker spotted the snake in a box and now the Rainforest Reptile Shows in Beverly, Massachusetts, is caring for the snake.

The snake is an Ornate Cat-eye snake. The species, native to Ecuador, is unlikely to bite people, but if it would, the pain would be intense.

"It definitely would have an impact, not going to kill a person, could cause swelling and pain in that general area," Ralbovsky said.

Now thousands of miles from home, the snake is going to have to adapt to a colder climate. But its caretakers are hoping it can help people learn about non-native reptiles.

"We'll use him for educational purposes, or he'll be placed in an accredited zoo or aquarium to help inspire about the natural world," Ralbovsky said.