Bizarre Discoveries Inside Luggage At Airports, From Dolphin Skull To 'Emotional Support Snake' [List]

A young dolphin's skull turned up in one of the bags during a routine inspection of international luggage at Detroit International Airport last week, Customs and Border Protection agents reportedly said. The skull is being sent for further investigation by the concerned department.

The owner remains unidentified at the time of this writing, and it's unclear if the person will face charges, NBC reported.

While the recent discovery is quite unusual, the Transport Security Administration (TSA) often finds several unexpected items during such checks. Findings range from drug-filled scrunchies at Boise Airport, Idaho, to gun parts hidden in peanut butter jars at the John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport.

Here's a list of more bizarre finds inside airport check-in bags, including a poor live cat and a dog.

An Emotional Support Snake

A Florida woman was restricted from boarding a flight after TSA found a 4 feet long live snake while screening her luggage at the Tampa International Airport in 2019. The woman tried to convince TSA officials that the snake was named Bartholomew and was her "emotional support animal."

An Orange Kitty

A stowaway feline was found inside a traveler's luggage at the JFK Airport in November 2022, and contrary to the previous incident, the owner of the bag knew nothing about the kitty's presence. It didn't even belong to the traveler.

TSA's social media team had a ball of a time describing the "hiss-torical" find on its social media. "We're letting the cat out of the bag on a hiss-toric find. This CATch had our baggage screening officers @JFKairport saying, 'Come on meow'! Feline like you have travel questions reach out to our furiends @AskTSA. They're available every day, from 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. (ET)," the witty tweet read.

As for the cat, it was safely returned to its owner who declined pressing charges against the traveler. The traveler was living in the same house as the cat's owner and the latter didn't see a need for further action, as it was a mistake.

Fentanyl Candies

Candy boxes stuffed with 12,000 suspected fentanyl pills were found at the Los Angeles International Airport in October last year. Authorities said a suspect carrying bags of candy and other snacks was trying to clear security when it was found that the candy wrappers contained pills believed to be fentanyl. The suspect managed to flee.

A Dog

A dog was sent through the airport X-ray machine at a Wisconsin airport in December last year. TSA Great Lakes shared a photo of the puppy positioned uncomfortably inside a small backpack, angering animal lovers.

While TSA didn't say if the animal was being smuggled intentionally or if it was a mistake, the reactions to the incident were ruthless.

Airports require pet owners to inform the screeners about their animals, and only the carriers and other items are required to be sent through the X-ray machine.

A Human Corpse... Prop

Passengers at an Atlanta airport were aghast when they saw a dead body prop being wheeled into the security check area in 2016.

The prop was part of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie and managed to stun the TSA officials who have witnessed many unexpected discoveries.

"Possibly the strangest thing at a @TSA checkpoint: A dead body prop from the Chainsaw Massacre movie at ATL Airport," TSA Spokesperson Lisa Farbstein tweeted.