Horrified man finds something unbelievable in a bag of broccoli

Most of us expect to find a stray caterpillar or a bit of dirt when we are washing our fresh produce. But one shopper in the UK recently sliced open a plastic bag of supermarket broccoli only to find something that belonged in the jungle, not the crisper drawer: a live, coiled snake.

The image of a spotted reptile nestled perfectly between the green florets went viral, leaving grocery shoppers everywhere double-checking their vegetable crispers.

Here is the chilling—and incredibly lucky—story behind the photo.

The Ultimate Kitchen Jump-Scare

The viral discovery happened to 63-year-old Neville Linton, a grandfather from the West Midlands, UK. He had purchased a standard, plastic-wrapped head of broccoli from his local Aldi supermarket, brought it home, and tossed it into the refrigerator.

Three days later, he pulled the vegetable out to prepare a meal. As he unwrapped the plastic on his kitchen counter, he noticed a tiny creature tucked deep near the stem.

Initially, Linton figured it was a large caterpillar or an oversized slug. But as he looked closer, the reality set in. It had scales. It had patterns. It was too big, and it was starting to move.

Terrified of snakes, Linton backed away and called in backup—his sister, Ann-Marie, who confirmed the impossible: a live snake had successfully hitchhiked from the farm, through the supply chain, onto the grocery shelf, and spent three days chilling in a suburban refrigerator.

What Kind of Snake Was It?

After the shock wore off, the family managed to gently corral the stowaway into a plastic container and drove it right back to the supermarket. Employees were reportedly just as stunned as the customer.

The exotic hitchhiker was later taken to the nearby Dudley Zoo, where specialists officially identified it as a young ladder snake.

Quick Facts About the Ladder Snake: