Most of us appreciate the TSA because they help keep us safe when we’re flying. How do they do that? By making sure that they check everyone who passes in and out of flights, of course. Any sober-minded individual, therefore, knows that bringing any odd items onto a flight is just asking for trouble.

Every airline will have a set of rules in terms of what is acceptable for passengers to carry on or check-in. These set of rules need to be followed strictly as they are for everyone’s safety. However, logic is something that seems to have escaped loads of people out there. As you’ll see while scrolling down the list, there are people out there who seem to think that they can travel with anything they want to. We’re not just talking about money or weapons here people, even live animals, and reptiles. Who brings live reptiles on a flight? Clearly, very special people.

Now that we’ve tried to mentally prepared you for what is to come (although it's possible to fully prepare anyone for this read), scroll down below as we take you through some of the not just crazy but sometimes odd things that our fellow human beings have tried to smuggle through the airport but were discovered by security.

20 Jar Of Venomous Snakes

So, apparently, it’s okay to board with dead, venomous snakes. Nope, we’re not kidding. We’re actually very serious here. The reason, however, that a passenger was stopped by customs is because of the jar that the snakes were being held in. The TSA Blog explains that “A container of dead venomous snakes was found in checked baggage at Newark. To add to that - dead snakes are not prohibited. The snakes were permitted to travel. The large liquid jar holding the snakes needed to be inspected due to an explosive-detection system alarm.” In other words, they were more concerned with the jar than the actual snakes.

19 Samurai Sword

The great thing about flying nowadays is that when in doubt, one is able to check on the airline’s website whether a particular item is permitted or not. The process is very quick and easy and will spare you a whole lot of unnecessary headaches and embarrassment. Perhaps this is what the man who tried to board a flight with a samurai sword should have done first. Although it may not be obvious for many of the items on this list about whether or not one can take them on a flight, with a samurai sword…Come on people. We’ve all seen those action movies. We know what this piece of the item can do. Of course, you can board with it!

18 Live Pigeons

It is not every day that you read something that makes you stop for a moment and question whether or not what you read is real. Well, this is definitely one of those moments and yes, ladies and gentlemen, this is definitely real. An Australian man was caught trying to smuggle pigeons in his trousers. Yes, people. You read right. The Telegraph reports that “the 23-year-old was stopped by customs officials at Melbourne airport…a search revealed he was wearing tights under his trousers, with a live pigeon stuffed into each leg.” The security also found plant seeds and samples of eggplant.

17 Crocodiles

Uhm, people…Who thinks that it’s okay to travel with crocodiles while on a packed flight with other people? Two words – NOT COOL. What would happen if their container became loose and they slid out mid-air? Well, clearly the person implicated didn’t consider this question as they tried to board a flight carrying seven freshwater crocodiles. He had them hidden in his suitcases and the crocs were still little, which made it possible to fit them in. The man from Bangladesh was traveling all the way to Bangkok. Luckily, security received a tip about this rather odd thing to have in your carryon.

16 Tropical Fish

Okay, we’re not quite sure whether we should laugh or be a little concerned about this one on our list. Our number 15 is sure to leave anyone speechless. It turns out, a woman was trying to smuggle tropical fish and so decided to put them in their bags and strap them to her undergarment. She then put a skirt over them, thinking that no one will notice. But they did. The security at Melbourne International Airport saw that there was odd movements (obviously) under the woman’s skirt. Sure enough, after checking her, it was found that she had 51 tropical fish on her.

15 94 iPhones

Okay, admittedly, this one is a little hilarious because honestly – What on earth was this man thinking? BrightSide explains that “this happened in 2014 in China. Airport security noticed something strange when a metal detector was set off. The man had 94 iPhones strapped to his body and was intending to sell these devices at a high price”. The Chinese customs must have had a loss for words once they stripped the man down and found that he had literally taped 94 iphones to his body. The man was from Hong Kong and we bet was very disappointed when his plan was ruined.

14 Boomerang

Many people travel to Australia to enjoy not only the beautiful scenery that the country/continent has to offer but also to be immersed in all the culture that they have. One of the most iconic symbols of Australian culture has to be the boomerang. It has been in existence for thousands of years and helped the Aboriginals while they were out hunting. Now, it is commonly sold as a souvenir to visitors. One American man thought that he could travel with his Boomerang into America but was surprised to find out that it is actually considered a weapon. It is okay to travel with it as carryon luggage in Australia but with regards to US bound flights, it needs to be transferred to your checked luggage.

13 Live Eels

The question that springs to mind when reading these report is – What on earth are you planning to do with all of these when you reach your destination? This passenger on our list didn’t only have eels in their carry-on luggage. The DailyMeal explains that “a Miami International Airport passenger attempted to transport a bag full of eels through security, as well as 163 marine tropical fish and 22 invertebras.” Luckily for these living organisms, they were taken to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It wasn’t revealed what the man was planning to do with them but honestly, we’re not sure we want to know.

12 A Dog

This one on our list warms our hearts a bit because it turns out that the owner had no idea that her dog had climbed in her bag. The Daily Meal highlights that “this poor pup didn’t want her owner to leave without her. Without her owner noticing, the tiny Chihuahua climbed into her suitcase and got zipped inside. Luckily TSA at New York City’s LaGuardia Airport was able to get the dog out, unharmed, and reunite it with the owner.”

Some airlines do not mind passengers traveling with their household pets, but there are various factors that are involved, including the dog’s age, weight, whether the dog is pregnant, etc.

11 $1.2 Million in Gold Bars

So, apparently, people don’t like to travel with hard cash anymore. Nope. Gold bars seem to be making a triumphant return. We’re joking. Of course, this was some sorted scheme to fly with a whole lot of money. If you’re wondering, the gold bars were 24 in total and estimated to be worth $1.2 million. The craziest part is that the culprit wasn’t even found. Nope. These bars were found in the airplane’s bathroom during a routine clean. The cleaner was busy cleaning when they noticed an odd and out of place bag in the bathroom. When they opened it, we’re pretty sure that they were not expecting to see so much gold. The flight was traveling from Mumbai to Bangkok.

10 Seahorses

Now, there are many things that security expects to find hidden in passenger bags but seahorses? Really? A man was found in the possession of four and a half pounds of dried seahorses. His excuse for having these – Apparently they were all for his personal consumption. If you’re wondering, seahorses are an endangered species so of course, this was far from legal. The Local explains that “the dried seahorses were found hidden within the luggage of a traveler arriving from Colombia. The Civil Guard said the seahorses had been discovered within plastic bags hidden inside the suitcase of a traveler arriving at Malaga Costa del Sol airport from Cali in Columbia.”

9 Dried Caterpillars

This one is yet another – “Why on earth would anyone do that?” moment. So a 22-year-old man tried to board with 207 pounds of dried caterpillars into Gatwick Airport near London. The IB Times reports that “the man, who had arrived from Burkina Faso in West Africa (after a changeover in Istanbul, Turkey), put tens of thousands of dead insects in his luggage in four large hessian bags, shrink-wrapped plastic.” If you’re wondering what he was going to do with them, when he was pulled over by security, he claimed that all these insects were for food and personal consumption.

8 Bear Attack Deterrent

A bear attack deterrent was confiscated at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport in Alaska. The owner thought that he could just have it with his carry-on luggage and board the flight. He was therefore surprised when airport security suddenly stopped him, searched his bag, and told him that he could definitely not have it in his carry-on luggage. The fact that he had it in his carryon and was more than willing to let the security search him means that he had no idea that he couldn’t bring along. This is why it’s important for all passengers to do their research and check the safety rules of the airlines.

7 Hand Grenades

So, if you weren’t aware and want to know whether or not you’re allowed to bring hand grenades onto flights, the answer is – No, people. Grenades put the lives of everyone on the flight in danger, whether or not they are just kept in the carryon luggage. A man was arrested by airport security after they found him in the possession of 4 WWII hand grenades. He was attempting to travel through LAX and as soon as it was discovered, was taken into custody. Stories like these make you realize more and more how much the TSA is really working to ensure everyone’s safety.

6 Cannonball

Oh boy, this one was a bit of an unfortunate one as it affected not only the person who had it with him but everyone else on the flight. A diver found th 18th-century cannonball while exploring a shipwreck. He thought that he could bring it back home with him as a souvenir. He, therefore, tried to check it in with his luggage. Needless to say, airport security was not too thrilled about having this on a flight. Not only did they confiscate this, but the whole flight crew and passengers were also evacuated from the plane as airport security were afraid that the cannonball was explosive.

5 Avalanche Charger

Okay, so this list is based on the odd things found by airport security around the world. With a title like that, nothing should really surprise us here however, we can’t help but raise an eyebrow or two with some of these items on the list. A man was found with an avalanche charger at the airport. If you’re wondering what it is, it is basically a homemade device that people use to create avalanches. There are many questions that come to mind about this one on our list but perhaps the most important one is - Why would anyone want to start an avalanche? Those things are dangerous and should definitely never be messed with.

4 Money In Pastry

This interesting (and perhaps delicious) story broke out in March 2012. The German airport security at Berlin Schonefeld Airport found bills of money that were rolled up in pastry. It seems that this act is very common as customs all over the world are trying to fight it. There are various systems in place by customs all over the world to try and deal with this common issue. Although we hope that no one gets to smuggle any money (or anything else actually), it seems like the tactics are definitely getting more and more creative every year. Needless to say, the man caught at the Berlin Airport was immediately arrested. And if you’re wondering, they took all the pastries as well.

3 Lipstick Stun Gun

This one on our list reminds us a little bit of our favorite spy – James Bond. We’re not sure where on earth the woman bought this stun gun but we wouldn’t be surprised if she had a trip to her local spy store to get herself one. So, at first glance, anyone would think that this is just some regular lipstick, right? Well, upon closer inspection, it was revealed that this was anything BUT a regular lipstick. Without a doubt, we definitely have to give airport security two thumbs up here. This shows how diligent they are when checking all items.

2 Tarantulas

A German couple gave airport security at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport the shock of their lives when they searched and found them in the possession of 200 tarantulas. This gave us a huge shock and we’re pretty sure that airport security had never seen anything like this before. Where on earth did they get this many spiders? The couple had come from a trip from South America. They decided to pack those rare tarantulas up and travel home with them. It was never confirmed what the reason was behind this insane number of spiders but all we can say is – They clearly don’t have a problem with creepy crawlies.

1 Chastity Belt

Nope, ladies and gentlemen. We are definitely not kidding here and Yes, you read right. A British woman was found wearing a chastity belt at airport security in Athens. Why did she have it on? Well, it turns out that she was on her way to a vacation and this was a form of fidelity guarantee to her husband. When the woman went through the metal detectors, of course, she set them off like crazy as the whole belt is made from metal. We’re not quite sure how on earth this one managed to make it onto our list. We thought it was the 21^st century!

References: The TSA Blog, The Telegraph, Brightside, The DailyMeal, The Local, The IB Times,