If you live in Florida, seeing snakes is just another day. But you don't usually see them in the grocery stores although don't ever rule it out. Snakes have a way of showing up in the least likely of places.
This snake wasn't in Florida. This happened in Sydney, Australia. This is a Diamond Python, a non-venomous species native to eastern Australia. This 10 foot specimen was caught and safely released by a trained animal catcher.
I saw the 'meme' and had to go hunt the story down.
Refrigeration mechanic Andrew Gertz came across the cow as he drove on the deserted Sandover Highway about 300 kilometres from Lake Nash Station in the Northern Territory.
"When I got closer I could see it was a sand python hanging out of its mouth," said Mr Gertz, from Camooweal, northern Queensland.
"I've seen cows with bone and hides ... I thought it might have been a bone."
He stopped to snap these photos.
The cow chewed on the snake for a while and then dropped it and moved on.
Western Queensland cattle grazier and natural historian Angus Emmott said cattle were known to scavenge on dead kangaroos and cattle to supplement their diets, especially in the red dust of outback Queensland.
Jim Stafford - “I Don’t Like Spiders And Snakes”
Jim Stafford - I don't like spiders and snakes.
I know every state / region has it's own venomous critters, i.e. reptiles, arachnids, scorpions, etc, but if you live in a rural area especially, aren't on the watch for venomous snakes in Florida now, you are wrong. Rattlers are the primary concern but we also have moccasins, copperheads, and coral snakes. Fortunately none, to my experience, of these snakes are aggressive and respond defensively only when trod upon or threatened. Coral snakes are almost incapable of delivering a deadly bite unless they have access to more tender areas of the body.
But be on the lookout. Copperhead camo is the most devious of all these, IMO.
Texas man discovers dozens of rattlesnakes living under his shed.
https://www.facebook.com/bobbyjessica.cowan/posts/10217172386811300
The story with shorter video:
Bobby Cowan and his friends, Matt Stanley and Levi Kirkland, had gone out to his property in Gorman to do some work on a windmill Tuesday afternoon when they noticed a small rattlesnake slither underneath an old, abandoned hunting cabin.
Wanting to see the snake again, they followed it to the building, lifted up the floor with a skid loader and watched in surprise as at least three dozen snakes slithered around in the nest under the floor.
"We were definitely — what's the right word — freaked out, maybe," Cowan said. "Very, very surprised. As soon as we lifted up the building, we slammed it right back down because there were so many of them."
A few minutes later, they summoned up the courage to lift the floor again, this time with Stanley ready to snap a video. Cowan later posted the video to Facebook, and within two days, it had more than 600,000 views.
The second time lifting up the floor, the friends noticed that the snakes were moving more slowly than usual, most likely because of the cooler temperatures. Cowan said.
Eventually, they had to move the snakes to a different part of the property that didn't have livestock. Cowan said they used long sticks and trash cans to relocate them, grabbing them by the back of their heads and moving them "quite a ways" away. They counted at least 36, but said there could have been as many as 50.
https://www.mysanantonio.com/lifestyle/travel-outdoors/article/Video-Texas-man-finds-dozens-of-rattlesnakes-13480621.php
Hawk drops snake on Texas woman, then fights to get it off her arm.
Two quotes might help prepare you for reading about Peggy Jones' lawn-mowing ordeal in rural Texas. "It's probably been the most terrifying thing that's ever happened in my life," she tells the Washington Post. And, more to the point: "The story was so bizarre that even the doctor asked if she was on (some) sort of drugs as she was telling the story," husband Wendell Jones tells the local Silsbee Bee. It seems a hawk was flying overhead with a snake in its talons, but the snake wriggled free and landed right on Jones. Things got worse from there.
The snake coiled itself tightly around Jones' right arm, and the hawk then swooped down to retrieve its meal. This happened over and over, as Jones tried fruitlessly to fling the snake from her arm. "About the fourth time, the hawk got the snake and carried it away.” "I looked down and I was covered in blood and I was heading up to the house." Jones' one stroke of luck is that the snake, which she said kept striking her in the face, was apparently not venomous. Most of the damage to her arm was done by the hawk clawing at the snake, say doctors. Jones' arm is recovering, but she describes her nightmares of late as "horrific."
Read a more detailed account at:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/08/08/texas-woman-attacked-snake-hawk/
Florida’s longest-ever Burmese python captured near Everglades.
Snake measures 19 feet, weighs 125 pounds.
COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. – The longest documented Burmese python in Florida was captured in Big Cypress National Reserve on Monday (7.10.2023).
The snake measured exactly 19 feet and weighed about 125 pounds, according to the Conservancy of Southwest Florida.
The previous record holder, also found in Florida, was 18 feet, 9 inches long.
22-year-old Jake Waleri donated the snake to the Conservancy of Southwest Florida after finding it alongside his hunting partner, Steve Guata, early Monday morning.
Waleri is one half of the Glades Boys, a duo that leads guided tours through South Florida where participants have the opportunity to hunt invasive Burmese pythons.
“It’s awesome to be able to make an impact on South Florida’s environment,” Waleri said. “We love this ecosystem and try to preserve it as much as possible.”
Biologists from the conservancy say that the research conducted on this snake will be valuable to understanding the founding population of Burmese pythons in South Florida.
The Conservancy of Southwest Florida removal team holds the record for the heaviest Burmese python. That snake, found in June 2022, weighed 215 pounds.
More photos of the record-holding python can be found online, posted by @Gladesboys on Tiktok and Instagram.
Several years ago I came across this story and it actually got me wondering because I considered it a funny story that may or may not be true …. it was legit.
The article I saw was published on July 11, 2019. Short PoliceCam video at link.
Oklahoma man driving stolen vehicle caught with rattlesnake, uranium, whiskey and firearm:
Stephen Jennings joked with officers that he was creating a "super snake."
Police Officers in Oklahoma made a startling discovery after arresting two people at a traffic stop, only to find that their vehicle contained a rattlesnake, a canister of uranium, an open bottle of whiskey and a firearm, authorities said Thursday.
An officer with the Guthrie Police Department had pulled over Stephen Jennings and Rachael Rivera for driving with expired tags on June 26, Sgt. Anthony Gibbs told ABC News. After the officer discovered that Jennings was driving with an expired license and Rivera was a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, both were placed under arrest, Gibbs said.
The vehicle, a Ford Explorer, was impounded because it did not have insurance. It was later discovered that the vehicle had been stolen.
"So when the impound of the vehicle begins and they start moving compartments, here's the rattlesnake in the backseat," Gibbs said. "It was surprising to the officer, obviously."
As the officers continued to search the vehicle, they spotted an open bottle of Kentucky Deluxe whiskey near a firearm, the sergeant said. Then they discovered a container of "yellowish powder" that was labeled "Uranium."
Jennings, of Logan County, told officers that he had the uranium because he recently purchased a Geiger counter to test metals, and the chemical element came with the purchase. He joked with officers that he was trying to create a "super snake," Gibbs added.
It did not appear that Jennings or Rivera were under the influence of the alcohol.
Jennings was arrested on charges of possession of a stolen vehicle, transporting an open container of liquor, operating a vehicle with a suspended license, and failure to carry a security verification form, the sergeant said. Rivera was arrested on charges of possession of a firearm after a former felony conviction.
The snake was taken from the scene and euthanized, Gibbs said, and the uranium was inspected. The uranium did not result in charges because Jennings was in possession of a legal amount.
Jennings was also within his rights to have the snake.
"In the state of Oklahoma, there are certain seasons where you can hunt rattlesnakes," Gibbs said. "This just happens to be one of those seasons."
Gibbs said that this was the first time he'd ever encountered a discovery like this, and that his department has received calls from other municipalities regarding how they handled it.
"Because if we run into it," Gibbs said, "it's gonna be possible that someone else runs into it."
Jennings could not immediately be reached by ABC News.
