A homeless man who claimed to be "an agent of God" was found walking around with a large rattlesnake in Jacksonville Beach Monday morning, according to the Jacksonville Beach Police Department.



Sgt. Larry Smith told First Coast News that they received calls about the man carrying the snake, which measured about 6 feet to 8 feet in length.

After officers arrived on the scene, they told the man to throw the snake inside their police vehicle. Police called in the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), which then safely captured the snake.



The FWC said it will relocate the snake to its natural environment.



At this time, there's no word as to why the homeless man was carrying the snake or if he got injured while holding it.



Out of the 44 species of snakes native to Florida, only six are venomous, including three rattlesnakes: the eastern diamondback rattlesnake, the dusky pygmy rattlesnake and the timber rattlesnake.