A viper snake gave an unsuspecting shopper a terrifying shock. (iStock)
An Austrian woman got a terrifying bonus with her grocery order this week when she accidentally picked up a mysterious snake with her bananas.
According to The Local, the woman purchased a large box of bananas from her friendly neighborhood supermarket and was on her way home when she realized she had another passenger in the car with her. As she happened to glance in her rearview mirror, she saw a viper slither out of the banana box to explore his new surroundings.
The woman panicked, as one does when one finds a potentially dangerous wild animal in one’s car, but she managed to safely stop the car and exit without crashing the car or frightening the snake enough to attack.
Once outside, she called emergency services, who in turn contacted a local snake expert who goes by “Mr. Rattlesnake.”
The snake expert was able to catch and identify the snake, which was a non-venomous viper.
“It’s a harmless viperine snake which looks very similar to the venomous viper,” he said.
He said the snake probably came from Spain and was accidentally imported along with the bananas. The snake expert took the viper into custody and said he would be keeping it for the time being.
This story originally appeared on The Daily Meal.
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