Python missing in Manhattan offices of Google

A python went missing over the weekend in the Manhattan offices of Google causing an all-out snakehunt.

Photo: Python missing in Manhattan offices of Google

People stepped away from their keyboards at the company's enormous 300,000-square-foot (27,870-square-meters) building to search for the 3-foot-long (0.91 meter) slithering fugitive.

Finally, a search team found the limbless lingerer, known as Kaiser, Monday night in the office.

"A snake was lost, it was not an April Fool's joke. It was found last night," said Ellen West, a spokeswoman for the company. She declined to reveal specifics about where in the office Kaiser was discovered.

She also declined to say exactly how the snake got there, but assured anyone concerned that it had been returned to its owner's home. "The snake has left the building," she said.

Valleywag, a "tech gossip" Web site, posted what it called an "exclusive" photo of a missing snake flier, complete with a photo of a reptile. It said the flier had been circulated in the Google office.

The flier described the snake as "non-venomous" and "not dangerous," brown and gray, and responsive to the name "Kaiser." It also advised people not to touch or pick up the creature.

Dubbed the "Googleplex," the Google building is built around a team concept that has people sharing offices and cubicles connected in groups. There is a cafeteria and a game room, as well as snack stations throughout the facility.

Google is headquartered in Mountain View, California. Its New York office has over 500 employees.