LEHIGH ACRES, Fla. — Snakes are common in Florida, and the reptiles are always seeking warmth. So, nuzzling up to a car engine is not out of the realm of possibility.

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Nevertheless, a southwest Florida resident was surprised to find a snake curled up under the hood of their vehicle on Monday. The person called the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, claiming that a “15-20-foot python” was wrapped around the engine of the car, parked in a driveway in Lehigh Acres.

Thinking the caller had stumbled upon a Burmese python -- an invasive species in Florida that can reach lengths of up to 18 feet -- the sheriff’s office sent Sgt. James Van Pelt to investigate.

Van Pelt, a state-licensed python contractor, did not find a python, the Miami Herald reported. Instead, he found a much smaller red rat snake.

“Snakes are misidentified all the time,” Andrew Durso, an assistant professor of wildlife biology at Florida Gulf Coast University, told WBBH-TV. “It’s really common, a lot of people are frightened of snakes so they tend to not look very closely and make assumptions or gross exaggerations about their size.”

Van Pelt quickly moved to remove the snake, which, while smaller than a python, was certainly aggressive. Video provided by the sheriff’s office showed the snake spring toward the deputy and bite his hand, the Herald reported. Van Pelt was protected, however, because he was wearing a heavy glove.

The snake was safely removed and released into a nearby wooded area, the sheriff’s office said. The reptile was not injured.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, red rat snakes are nonvenomous and connonly grow to a length of up to 48 inches. However, some have been reported as long as 6 feet.

The snake typically mates between April and June, so perhaps this particular snake was getting revved up.

“In Florida, it’s pretty warm all the time so a car engine is much too hot for them,” Durso told WBBH. “Maybe they’re looking to explore a tight space, maybe they’re interested in trying to see if there’s anything to eat in there or a place to take shelter.”

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