Escaped boa constrictor spotted in Sydney neighborhood

SYDNEY - Whether its pounding surf, man-eating crocodiles, or predatory sharks -- Australians are used to keeping their eyes peeled when they're near the water.

Now residents of one coastal neighborhood in Sydney are also being told to watch out for an escaped exotic snake.

Officials said Thursday they had been "alerted to a sighting of a Boa constrictor" slithering around the waterside suburb of Sylvania.

"Please do not approach the animal," the Department of Primary Industries for New South Wales (NSW) said in a statement.

"If safe to do so, take a photo and contact us so that we can identify and attempt to capture the snake."

Video posted to social media showed the girthy critter slowly worming across a waterside footpath next to a beach.

Native to Central and South America, boa constrictors are one of the world's largest species of snake.

They have an average length of around three metres (10 feet), and are named for the way in which they squeeze the life out of their prey.

Many snake lovers covet boa constrictors as exotic pets.

"The boa constrictor is not native to Australia and is a high risk of establishing populations in a wide range of environments in NSW and across Australia," according to the NSW Department of Primary Industries.

"This snake is bred and kept both legally and illegally for the pet trade around the world."

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