OSLO - Customs officials in Norway said Monday they had arrested a man who tried to illegally import 14 snakes and 10 lizards into the country by taping the reptiles to his body.

The snakes, king pythons that are large in size but not venomous, were rolled up in socks and taped to the man's torso, while the geckos were found in small boxes taped to his legs.

The identity of the man, who was arrested Sunday in the southern town of Kristiansand after disembarking a ferry from Denmark, was not disclosed.

"He told us he was crazy about reptiles," the head of the local customs office, Helge Breilid, told AFP.

The unusual load was discovered during a body search after customs officials found a tarantula in the man's luggage.