Tuesday, January 30, 2007
MIDDLETOWN, Ohio (AP) -- Four workers clearing debris along the Great Miami River in southwest Ohio found a frozen eight-foot boa constrictor Monday morning.
"We never expected this to happen," said Chris Miller, who was working with other McGraw-Kokosing Inc. workers to clean debris from recent floods and fill a sinkhole. "We've been entertaining ourselves. It's been a lot of fun, really."
The snake was stretched out when found near a bike path along the river.
"It's very unusual," Miller said. "It'd be like finding an alligator down here."
Boas generally don't coil when cold, said Niki Treadway, a saleswoman at Jacks Aquarium & amp; Pets in Middletown.
Snakes also are unable to generate their own body heat and survive by taking heat from external sources, such as the sun or rocks.
In November, an 8-foot Colombian red-tail boa worth 2,000 was stolen, along with two other snakes, from a Middletown tattoo parlor. But owner Edward Morris said those snakes had been returned.