Family finds boa constrictor on front porch

A family in St. Petersburg was given an unexpected surprise when they found a boa constrictor on their front porch the day before Thanksgiving.

The boa constrictor is 6-feet long and weighs about 50 pounds. Don Meyers' daughter was first to see the snake curled up on his porch. Meyers said he didn't believe his daughter at first until he spotted the snake himself and called 911.

"I see small snakes out here quite often but never anything like this," said Meyers, "and he was right over there in the corner and he was big. Very big."

When Vernon Yates with Wildlife Rescue Rehabilitation showed up to capture the snake, it slithered under the family's shed. Yates had to cut out a portion of the shed's floor in order to drag the reptile out.

"Getting him out from underneath the shed was a problem because the shed was so big and there was no way to get to the middle of the shed where he was," said Yates. "He just kept staying in there and he wasn't going to come out."

Yates said its likely the boa is an escaped pet. Its owner could face a citation from the Florida Wildlife Commission. The snake is currently at Yates' facility until someone claims it.