Hum Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) -- Andrew Philson and his 3-year-old son will sleep a little on edge knowing that the alleged 15 to 20 foot long snake spotted in their backyard on Tuesday has remained elusive. Philson got a call from his elderly neighbor about the reptilian nuisance and thought he'd be finding a small garter or black snake, but got the shock of his life when he saw the beast slithering up one of his trees. "I looked over there and wow!" Philson said. "It was a revelation." After the initial shock, Philson snapped several pictures of the massive snake behind his Devereaux St. home, which is near Kilbourne St and N. Beltline Blvd., and started calling around to see who could get rid of it. So far, he's not had any luck, but, after looking at Philson's pictures, officials at the Department of Natural Resources say they're positive that it is a black rat snake. Philson, however, believes it is some type of python. "I've seen a rat snake and they don't get that big," said Philson. According to DNR, rat snakes are not poisonous and are considered to be beneficial to have around because they eat rats and rodents and keep other, more dangerous, snakes away. They are incredibly agile when it comes to climbing and can sometimes be found among the rafters of outbuildings, along rock walls, or in trees high above the ground. Their climbing abilities allow them to ascend the trunks of mature trees, which they sometimes do in search of prey which includes birds and small mammals. Some large black rat snakes can kill and eat a full grown squirrel. DNR officers said they do not respond to remove rat snakes because of the benefit they offer to the environment. more & video Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 Yup, that looks like a big black rat snake. We had them in our outbuildings where farmers look on them very favorably because they're so damned good at pest control. Totally harmless, though impressively large, so leave him/her alone for the reasons noted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hell-In-A-Handbasket Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 F**CK THAT SH*T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 Ohh c'mon!! Put on your big boy pants ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
123456789A Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 Will it blend? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xendrome Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 Yup, that looks like a big black rat snake. We had them in our outbuildings where farmers look on them very favorably because they're so damned good at pest control. Totally harmless, though impressively large, so leave him/her alone for the reasons noted. Well it's not black, and it has a pattern, so it's not a black rat snake.. has the pattern of a boa.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hum Posted May 24, 2012 Author Share Posted May 24, 2012 Radioactive earthworm ! :woot: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osiris Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 Looks like it wants a hug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJ_ Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 Will it blend? Blendtec ftw :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
123456789A Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 Blendtec ftw :p Imagine how much snake juice you could get out of that thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 Well it's not black, and it has a pattern, so it's not a black rat snake.. has the pattern of a boa.. Black rats can have a pattern too, and color ranges from a dark brown to jet black. Some even have light stripes or bands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loadedpampers Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 Sorry, I had to pee. I wil put it away now. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Original Poster Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 I cant see the head well enough to tell what it is ... but it has a python head i think... rat snakes (all the ones i have worked with) have blended body and head while boas and pythons have a triangular head Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Original Poster Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 Ohh c'mon!! Put on your big boy pants ;) looking at the head and pattern im going to guess either a large common boa (with darker scales) or a young Burmese with a boa like pattern (ive seen weirder things) though saying tht I cannot make a firm ID on it as all the pictures of its head are horrible Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Dick Montage Subscriber² Posted May 24, 2012 Subscriber² Share Posted May 24, 2012 Ohh c'mon!! Put on your big boy pants Best comment I ever did read ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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