In a Christmas tree shipping container, Hawaii store employees stumbled upon a 2-foot snake.

A two-foot snake was discovered in a shipping container of Christmas trees sent to a store in the Aloha State, surprising the employees.

On Saturday, while unloading a container of holiday trees at a Hilo, Hawaii, store, staff noticed a large reptile, as stated in a release from the Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA).

The employees swiftly closed the container, preventing the unexpected snake from establishing itself on the island.

The nonvenomous gopher snake was captured by inspectors from HDOA's Plant Quarantine Branch.

No other snakes were discovered in the container after officials searched through other trees.

The speckled snake was spotted following capture in a photo from the agency. The agency stated that the snake is currently being held in Hilo and will be safely relocated to Honolulu.

According to HDOA, gopher snakes can grow up to seven feet and kill their prey, such as small birds and rodents, by constricting and suffocating them.

In Hawaii, snakes lack natural predators and can pose a danger to endangered native birds, humans, and small pets.

The chairperson of HDOA, Sharon Hurd, expressed gratitude to the employees for their prompt responses.

"Despite conducting inspections on every container of Christmas trees and wreaths that arrive, we lack the resources to examine every item in each container."

This season, HDOA expects a total of 135 containers to arrive in Hawaii, containing more than 45,000 Christmas trees and wreaths.

HDOA did not immediately respond to Planet Chronicle Digital's request for comment.