Traffic stop leads police to allegedly find dozens of dead and alive pythons in man's car

A man has been charged with 26 counts of serious animal cruelty after a traffic stop led police to discover dozens of dead and alive pythons in his car in Queensland.

The 22-year-old man from Moore Park Beach was stopped by officers on Woongarra Street in Bundaberg about 7.10pm on Saturday over traffic-related matters.

But police allegedly then found 13 living snakes and 13 dead snakes in various states of decomposition and containment littered throughout the car.

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"The majority of the snakes were types of pythons," police said.

Detectives rushed to the scene and seized the snakes, taking them to an emergency animal hospital where vets examined and treated the living animals.

The surviving snakes were given to a local wildlife rescue organisation for continued care, police said.

The 22-year-old man will appear before court in April.

Snakes are protected under law, making it illegal to kill, injure or take snakes from the wild.