Reptile causes panic on plane......
.....a solo pilot had to exhibit self control while flying a competition glider in Italy a few years back, when a snake that had spent the night in the glider warmed up enough to slither over his legs.....
The ensuing radio transmissions went somewhat as follows: "There's a snake in my glider! what should I do? " He was advised to: (1) fly higher so it gets cold and goes back to sleep or passes out from lack of oxygen;
(2) look in its eyes to see if the pupils are round or eliptical, if round, it is not a poisonous snake, so no worries, you can finish the task (3) land as soon as possible! He chose option 3.
Preflight inspections the following day were carried out with unusual care.