One resident can confirm the foresight of our forefathers today after he found a Ball python slithering about the outskirts of Hamilton Thursday - on the meandering Serpentine Road.

Police responded after the man reported spotting a three and a half foot snake with a rat in its mouth while he was driving along the road at 8.15 p.m.

Police said the man stopped and detained the snake under a bucket while he called the authorities.

The importation of snakes into Bermuda is illegal, as they are an invasive species and are seen to threaten local species of birds.

Ball pythons are not especially dangerous to humans, although they are known to prey on small animals and ground nesting birds in particular.

Snake discoveries happen periodically on the Island, with about five snakes found in the last five or so years, Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo head zoologist Zoe Roberts said yesterday.

She added that the creatures often make their way onto the Island after finding their way into shipping containers and building supplies, although people are known to sometimes smuggle them in.

The snake is not an escapee from the Aquarium