CANBERRA (DPA) - A snake made its way across three continents, travelling from Australia to Scotland in a tourist's suitcase, according to local media reports Monday (Feb 25).

The non-venomous spotted python was found in the shoe of Ms Moira Boxall last Friday after her return from a summertime holiday in Australia, broadcaster ABC reported.

Mr Paul Airlie, Ms Boxall's son-in-law, who lives with his family in Mackay, a city in Queensland, told the Australian broadcaster that the find was a surprise.

"She was not at all expecting to find the snake when she was unpacking a bag when she got back to Scotland," he said.

The snake had hidden in Ms Boxall's shoe, which had been packed inside the suitcase.

"Somehow or other, it got from Mackay to Glasgow without being detected," Mr Airlie told ABC. "Snakes are as foreign to a Scot as snow is to a Queenslander," he added.

In the photos, shared with local media, the snake had shed its skin during the journey inside the shoe.

"I don't know exactly when it shed its skin but it had to happen on the flight which is strange," Mr Airlie said.

The snake is in quarantine in Scotland.