Honolulu police caught on Friday night a live, 2-foot snake in the yard of a Waipahu home, the Department of Agriculture announced today.

The reptile was taken to an area animal hospital and picked up Saturday morning by Plant Quarantine Branch inspectors.

The Agriculture Department identified the green snake as a non-venomous corn snake native to North America and common in the pet trade on the mainland. They can grow up to six feet long.

Corn snakes subdue their prey by coiling around and suffocating it.

They typically feed on small mammals, such as rodents, and occasionally birds.

The Agriculture Department warns that such snakes are a serious threat to Hawaii’s environment and economy because they have no natural predators here and could prey on endangered native birds and their eggs.

Large snakes can also pose a danger to the public and small pets.

Anyone who sees or knows of illegal animals in Hawaii is urged to contact the toll-free pest hotline at 643-PEST (7378).

People with such illegal animals may turn them in through the state’s amnesty program.