An Australian schoolteacher called a plumber when her toilet was blocked - to find a 7ft python stuck in the u-tube.
The carpet python had been living in the septic tank of Kate Poole's home in Howard Springs, near Darwin.
Parks and wildlife officer Peter Phillips said the snake had probably poked its head out of the toilet "for a bit of a look around".
The snake was stuck fast but was finally caught by lifting the septic tank cover and using special tongs, reports Northern Territory News.
Ms Poole, 58, a part-time relief teacher, had met the snake before when it killed a baby possum that used to come to her door to be fed.
"It was crushing the possum," she said. "I managed to free the poor animal by lifting up the snake with a crutch, but it was too late - the possum was dead."
But she said she didn't hold a grudge and was happy to see the python liberated.
