The TSA said in an Instagram post that a traveller at Tampa International Airport in Florida put her carry-on bag through the security checkpoint X-ray machine, and operators quickly identified the live snake. 

"Our officers at Tampa International Airport didn't find this hyssssssterical," the post said. "We really have no adder-ation for discovering any pet going through an X-ray machine."

A TSA spokesperson said the woman told agents that Bartholomew the Boa was her emotional support pet. The spokeswoman said the airline was informed and the snake was not allowed to board the plane.

"Do you have asp-rations of taking a snake on a plane? Don't get upsetti spaghetti by not understanding your airline's rules. For instance, airlines don't allow nope ropes in carry-on bags and only a few allow them to slither around in checked bags, if packaged correctly," the Instagram post said.

In 2020, the TSA ruled that airlines could treat emotional support animals as regular pets, not service pets, which means their presence on a plane would be subject to the same rules and fees as regular pets.

Even so, airlines do not allow snakes in plane cabins because they can get out and hide easily. Some allow snakes in checked luggage.

Last year, a number of pets were spotted by TSA X-ray machines at airports, including a dog and a cat.

UPI