A Townsville man has had the shock of his life after a 2.7 metre python climbed through the sewerage pipes to emerge through his toilet bowl.
Richard Eves found the massive carpet python in his toilet at around 9pm one night after coming up through the pipes.
Despite its size, carpet pythons are largely harmless to humans but Mr Eves said it was still a shock to find it.
"It is unusual having a python in your toilet bowl — it doesn't happen every day," he said.
"I knew it wasn't dangerous but I was absolutely flabbergasted."
The wrangler who removed the python measured it at an astonishing 2.7 metres, only 30cm off the Townsville area record, Mr Eves said.
"It must have been in the sewer system chasing rats and it got stuck," he said.
"That's how they wound up in a toilet."
Queensland snake catcher Geoff Jacobs said it was quite common for pythons and green tree snakes to make their way into people's toilets.
"It happens all the time...I would probably get called to about 10 year," he said.
"The worst of all is pulling them out because you get covered in sewage. You generally vomit and then go home for a bath with Dettol."
Mr Jacobs said snakes were attracted to the rats, mice and frogs which lived underground in the sewer system.
Neighbour Judy Dupont said while pythons are fairly common in North Queensland, it was still a surprise to find one climbing through the plumbing.
"It was such a bizarre thing to come across," she said.
" It must have been in a very distressed state."
The incident took place on December 29th but has not become public until today.
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