Adder snake
Adder snakeThinkstock

Passengers on a “Ravn Alaska” domestic flight between Alaskan cities were in for a surprise, after it was announced that a “loose snake” was hiding on board.

Passenger Anna McConnaughy related in an AP report published Tuesday that "the pilot came, and said, 'Guys, we have some loose snake on the plane, but we don't know where it is.”

A young boy, one of the seven passengers on the flight, finally spotted the four-to-five-foot-long snake lying partially covered by a duffel bag in the back of the plane, and a flight attendant dropped the snake in a plastic bag, which was stored in an overhead storage bin until the end of the flight.

According to an airline spokesman, the snake belonged to a passenger on a previous flight. After the passenger had gotten off his flight, he had reported his snake missing, likely on the plane’s return flight.

The airline does not allow large animals on board besides dogs - which are allowed as “service animals-” leading one to question how the large snake slipped past security guards.