A snake with a claw-like foot growing out of its belly has been discovered in China, according to the Telegraph .

Duan Qiongxiu, 66, said she found the 16-inch snake ( see picture ) clinging to her bedroom wall with its talons in the middle of the night. After being startled by the creature, Duan beat it to death with a shoe and then preserved its body in a bottle of alcohol.

“I woke up and heard a strange scratching sound. I turned on the light and saw this monster working its way along the wall using his claw,” she said.

The snake is being studied at the Life Sciences Department at China’s West Normal University in Nanchang where snake expert Long Shuai said they won’t know the cause of the shocking adaptation until an autopsy is performed.

Snakes have been known to mutate. The most common mutation among snakes is the formation of a second head which is similar to the Siamese twins phenomenon in humans. The heads have a tendency to attack each other.

Many scientists believe ancient snakes had limbs and lost them when they evolved from sea creatures to land animals. A 95-million-year-old snake fossil found in 2000 had well-developed hind limbs.

last thing i need is snakes being able to run after me.