Crib Surprise: Snake Wrapped Around Baby's Leg

How a California King snake wound up in a Long Island Island baby's crib is up for debate. But what is known is that the 7-month-old whose leg had the snake coiled around it is safe. Her mother, though, not so much: Cari Abatemarco, who was visiting relatives in Brentwood, said, "Once I lifted [baby Isabella] up and the snake fell off of her, she stopped crying. But then I was the one crying all night."

An Islip Town official confirmed to Newsday that the snake was taken in by animal control, whose workers say the snake was about a foot long, while Abatemarco's relative says the snake was more like 4 feet. The family also suggests that the snake hitched a ride when the mattress was purchased (the packaging wasn't secure), though Suffolk SPCA tells Newsday the snake might have been outside and taken refuge in the house in the heat.

According to the Islip Animal shelter, the non-venomous snake "is not indigenous to Long Island and will probably be adopted by an organization that cares for exotic animals."