The mysterious “ball” seen alongside the road was a 14-foot invasive snake, New York officials say

A strange mound discovered along a Long Island road turned out to be true a 14-foot invasive snakeaccording to the New York Department of the Environment.

The reticulated python was spotted near Medford on February 14, but details of the discovery were not released until March 1.

“Officials arrived and observed the reptile curled into a ball. Upon closer inspection, it turned out that he was deceased,” the department reported.

“The (officials) removed the snake from the roadway to properly dispose of it. … An investigation into the owner of the snake is underway.”

A photo shared on social media shows the queue was almost as long as the officers’ patrol car.

It is believed that the snake was an escaped pet. However, Commenters on social media suggest it may be “hitchhiked in some kind of transport vehicle/boat”.

“It is illegal to keep these species of snakes as pets in New York and they may only be owned by dangerous animal license holders,” the state reported.

pythons are sensitive to temperatures below 50 degrees, which means the snake would not have survived long in a New York City winter.

Reticulated pythons average 13 to 16 feet long in the wild, but some are as large as 20 feet and 300 pounds were found.

The species is native to South and Southeast Asia but has spread further through the pet trade.

Florida’s Everglades have become a hotbed for snakes, which wreak environmental havoc by feeding on native wildlife. Pythons can be caught and “killed humanely” in Florida year-round, and no permit or hunting license is required.

Biologists say the 215-pound invasive Burmese python is hardest to find in Florida

Man grabs Python and it grabs him back. Video shows efforts to remove it in the Everglades

The road “obstruction” reported at the Florida intersection was a large line, lawmakers say