Another Big Snake Found In The Chicago Area, Only Harmless If You Don't Hassle It

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Police in Niles are looking for the owner of giant snake found on Wednesday.

It's one of two found in the last week. As CBS 2's Meredith Barack shows, neither should be here.

The snake was found in the backyard of a home by a landscaper. It was hiding in a bush and now police are waiting for its owner to come forward.

A picture of the snake was sent it to Sara Ruane, who works as a snake expert for the Field Museum. She said that it's a boa constrictor. And it was likely kept as a pet, and either got out on its own or was released.

It's a different species from a snake found last week in DuPage County, which was identified as a ball python. Neither are native to the Chicago area.

She said it's merely a coincidence both of the large snakes were found within a week of each other, but both are harmless to humans because they're not venomous and they're very shy. They're only going to bother you if you're hassling them.

They also likely wouldn't survive very long in weather like this.

"There's no concern about, in Illinois, snakes like this starting a breeding population or becoming established or anything like that," said Ruane, Curator or Amphibians and Reptiles at the Field Museum.

She said it's not illegal to own a boa or a python in Illinois. So the owners of the snakes shouldn't hesitate to go pick them up. Otherwise, she said, they will likely find new homes fairly quickly.