New York  - The last thing laundry workers in Manhattan expected to see was a 1.2-metre snake slithering in the dirty wash.

But an employee of Gracie Laundry in Manhattan got a shock when she spied a boa constrictor nestled among the bags, NY1 broadcaster reported Wednesday.

"At first I thought it was a joke," Eddie Huerta, a friend of the worker who made the discovery, was quoted as saying. He called the city's animal control offices.

An Animal Care and Control official surmised that the 4kg boa, who was nicknamed Slither, had been abandoned as are many exotic pets, and was seeking human company.

"It was somebody's pet at one point because it's very comfortable around humans," Jose Ortiz said.

He said Slither was "a very timid snake, not an aggressive snake at all." (dpa)