Slithering stowaway holds up Australian domestic flight
Snake catcher Mark Pelley was called to remove the reptile, which he initially feared could be venomous.
The snake was identified as a harmless 60-centimetre green tree snake, a protected species.
Mr Pelley said that a failed capture attempt would have necessitated evacuating the aircraft and potentially dismantling parts of it to find the snake.
The snake is suspected to have boarded the plane in a passenger's luggage from Brisbane and will be placed with a licensed snake keeper due to quarantine regulations.
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