After returning from a grocery store with some food, the man did not notice he had brought home a snake until it had become used to his diet.

Neville Linton, 63, purchased a bag of broccoli from an Aldi supermarket in Stourbridge, England, last month. He kept it in his refrigerator and used it three days later to make a supper.

But as soon as he opened the vegetables, the man noticed the unexpected visitor. See how the experience unfolded by scrolling down, and be sure to catch our discussion about it with Dr. Steven J. R. Allain, also known as The Pop-Punk Herpetologist.

Somewhere in southwest Europe, a snake that was investigating a broccoli field was packaged and sent to a British store.

Neville Linton, 63, scooped it up and carried the lizard home with a bag of veggies without anybody seeing.

Neville, an industrial cleaner, was astounded by what he saw.

It was quite awful. He remarked, “I’m not good with snakes.” The broccoli would have been loose throughout the house if I had just left it outside in the kitchen.

“With two vulnerable people living here, that would have been a huge risk for us.”

He phoned his sister Ann-Marie Tenkanemin for assistance after realizing the thing was too large to be a caterpillar, and she recognized it as a snake.

After popping it in a tub, the two returned to the Dudley Road Aldi where Neville had made the purchase.

At first, I believed she was kidding, but when I saw it move, I changed my mind. He responded, “The man at the shop was fairly scared too.

After the snake was brought to a nearby zoo, experts there identified it as a juvenile ladder snake.

However, Dr. Steven J. R. Allain, a herpetologist, believes it might be a viperine water snake.

The reptile was brought to the Dudley Zoo, where its keepers think it is a juvenile ladder snake. Dr. Steven J. R. Allain, who Bored Panda contacted, inclined to disagree.

Allain informed us, “After looking at the [real] picture of the snake in the broccoli, I’m not sure the zoo identified the species correctly.” “The snake appears to be a harmless fish-eating viperine water snake (Natrix maura), which can be found throughout southwestern Europe and northern Africa,” said the expert.

Allain holds a degree in zoology from Anglia Ruskin University, a master’s degree from Imperial College London, and is presently enrolled in the University of Kent’s Ph.D. program. He is interested in amphibian illness and population ecology, but his present focus is mostly on the population ecology of barred grass snakes (Natrix helvetica) and the consequences of ophidiomycosis.

It is not surprising to see a species from this region showing up in certain vegetables that are probably cultivated there, considering that a significant amount of food that is farmed and imported into the United Kingdom originates from the Mediterranean region. The snake was probably crossing the field at the time, being caught up by farm machinery, and then hiding in the broccoli, in my view.

It took some time to travel to the UK and then to Neville’s house, but according to Allain, these snakes can survive for several months without food, and the refrigerator’s cooling effect would have helped the snake maintain a low metabolism, which lowers its body’s energy requirements.

“It couldn’t have been comfortable, though,” he said. “In order to keep the broccoli fresh, especially the quick change from the warm Mediterranean climate to a chillier environment.”

“Water snakes that are venomous only pose a threat to fish or frogs.” They are said to be non-venomous to humans, and they would much rather pretend dead than bite people as a kind of defense.

“I understand that Neville was going through a difficult period at the time (particularly since he is afraid of snakes), but his response could have been more positive if there had been more public education about snakes and how to handle situations like these,” Allain said. “While the snake’s mishap at the wrong location shouldn’t have happened to it, maybe its new home at Dudley Zoo will help allay people’s fears of snakes.”

Neville is attempting to receive payment for going through all of this.

Although Neville has received compensation, he is attempting to receive more.

The father of three said that the sum he had heard didn’t seem reasonable given the risk to his mother-in-law, who is fragile, and his handicapped son, who share a roof.

It’s simply not good enough, he continued. “Have it gotten out in the home, it would have had serious consequences for us. Additionally, there is the emotional consequence of my snake phobia.

“Our supplier has never had a complaint of this nature and has robust processes in place to prevent such issues from occurring,” an Aldi representative said.

“We have apologized to Mr. Linton for not upholding our customary high standards as we look into this rare incident.”

People’s responses to the story once it appeared in the local news were varied.