An Australian man “completely freaked out” after he found a venomous snake in lettuce that he had bought from a supermarket.

“I kind of completely freaked out when I saw this little tongue come out of its mouth and start flicking around and realized it was a snake because worms don’t have tongues,” Alex White recalled, Fox 59 reported. 

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White and his partner Amelia Neate found the snake moving on the kitchen table as they were unpacking the groceries. 

 Upon further examination, it was identified as the venomous pale-headed snake scientifically known as Hoplocephalus bitorquatus. 

The species is not known to cause human fatalities. However, their venom can cause blurred vision, abdominal bleeding and severe headache. 

Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service (WIRES) was immediately called proceeding which the snake was rescued.

According to authorities, the snake made an 870-kilometre journey to Sidney and was then transported from ALDI supermarket to White’s home in his backpack. 

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In a statement by the ALDI supermarket chain, “We’ve worked with the customer and the team at WIRES to identify the snake’s natural habitat, which is certainly not an ALDI store!”. 

According to the WIRES, reptile coordinator Gary Pattinson the 8 inches long snake will be returned to Queensland state next week. 

He further adds that this is the first time a snake has been found in sealed and packed produce. But a frog is found in them “all the time”.