Snake hunt, anyone?

[Preacherman]

From the Sun-Sentinel, Florida (http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/custom/fringe/sfl-1229snake,0,3305731.story?coll=sfla-news-fringe):

World's largest snake -- 49 feet long -- captured

Associated Press
Posted December 29 2003, 7:44 AM EST

JAKARTA, Indonesia - Indonesian villagers claim to have captured a python more than 49 feet long and weighs more than 990 pounds, a local official said Monday.

If confirmed, it would be the largest snake ever kept in captivity.





Hundreds of people have flocked to see the snake at a primitive zoo in Curugsewu village on the country's main island of Java, Republika daily reported. It splashed two large pictures of the reptile across its back page.

Local government official Rachmat said the reticulated python measured 49.21 feet and weighed in at 992.07 pounds.

The Guinness Book of World Records lists the longest ever captured snake to be 32 feet. The heaviest - a Burmese python kept in Gurnee, Ill. - weighs 403 pounds, the book said on its Web site.

Rebublika said the snake, which was caught last year but only recently put on public display, eats three or four dogs a month.

Reticulated pythons are the world's longest snakes. They are capable of eating animals as large as sheep, and have been known to attack and consume humans.

The species is native to the swamps and jungles of Southeast Asia.

 

[Guyon]

Tastes like chicken?

Hmmm... gonna have to pass on this one. Wonder how many villagers it took to capture this beast.

 

[clown714]

that would'a take like 00 snake shot

clown

 

[Smoke]

Morbid curiosity makes me want to see a snake that big.

My self preservation instinct is telling me not to be within 1000 miles of a 1/2 ton snake.

SMoke

 

[4v50 Gary]

I wonder what and how often they feed it? One 150-200 lb pig a month?

 

[Bruz]

I wonder what and how often they feed it? One 150-200 lb pig a month?

I think they feed it 3 to 4 dogs per month...that would go over real big here. Sounds like a good way to keep the feral cat and dog population down.

A half ton snake, that is a scarey thought...sure it could eat a full grown man no problem!? Make a nice pair of boots...for the whole tribe!

 

[TrapperReady]

And to think that some people wonder what to carry for use against a puny little grizzly bear!

Somehow, I think that a .22 shotshell wouldn't quite do the trick.

 

[sm]

That is a bunch of belts, boots, holsters, mag carriers, purses...

I'd like to see this thing , separated by a cage of course. Out in the wild, hey...I'm not proud 12 ga. and slugs...that is if the tennis shoes fail first...
I may be older but I'm not dumb ...

 

[Tamara]

Y'know, retics are some vile-tempered snakes (though not as bad as anacondas). I'd hate to be anywhere near this one if it was hungry unless I was in head-to-toe trauma-plated kevlar with several firearms and had an infantry fire team backing me up...

 

[pax]

Tastes like chicken?

Yes, actually, they do. Pretty good eating.

We lived for awhile in Borneo when I was a kid. Happened fairly often that the locals would bring us some snake for the dinner table. Dad had to do a bit of finagling to get it, but when we came back to the States we brought with us a nicely cured snake skin that was well over 25 feet long -- chopped off at the widest point. Reason it was hard to get wasn't its rarity, exactly, but because the SOP when a snake was spotted was for all the villagers to run out with machetes and hack off their family portion. Had to persuade a whole group of people to cooperate with getting a (mostly) intact skin.

Cool story, Preach. Thanks for posting it.

pax

 

[Matt G]

My self preservation instinct is telling me not to be within 1000 miles of a 1/2 ton snake.

Quarter ton, actually. A ton is 2000 lbs.

that is if the tennis shoes fail first...

There is not a snake on this planet that can locomote as fast as a human who is even vaguely fit.

 

[Browns Fan]

That is an awesome snake! BTW, Happy New Year, fellow THRers!

 

[cordex]

Quarter ton, actually. A ton is 2000 lbs.

Er ... Matt?

... more than 49 feet long and weighs more than 990 pounds ...

1000 lbs == half a ton, right?

 

[Guyon]

There is not a snake on this planet that can locomote as fast as a human who is even vaguely fit.

You ever seen a Black Racer move? It's one fast snake.

 

[pax]

Black Mamba moves at approx 10-12 mph.

Plenty of humans -- the very old, the very young -- can't manage that.

But generally, Matt's right.

pax

 

[Biff]

CRIKEY! Isn't she a little beauty?

 

[Art Eatman]

992.07 pounds is close to 1,000, which is half a ton. 403 pounds is on the way to 500 pounds, which is a quarter-ton.

Which snake ya talkin' 'bout?

, Art

 

[Sunray]

"...could eat a full grown man ..." Nope. No snake can eat a full grown human. Not even this bruiser. A snake's jaws, while they do disconnect, cannot get past your shoulders. So it can eat your head and you'd die, but you'd get even with him when he suffocates or chokes to death.
You'd get a really nice pair of boots and a set of luggage out of this one though.

 

[Atticus]

If killing snakes is a SIN.....I was doomed to Hell by the age of 15. I leave them alone now...if they leave me alone...but I still don't like the stinkin things. That particular one is definately nightmare material.

 

[JohnKSa]

Having seen how fast a 7 foot boa can turn a man's hand into hamburger, I wouldn't want to be as close to that monster as the guy in the photo is.

If that snake decided to take a bite, things would be a bloody mess.

They don't have the teeth to bite pieces out of prey, but they are very sharp (like needles) and will shred like nobody's business. Especially when you follow your natural instinct and jerk away.

Also, that thing is big and strong enough that if it really got ahold of the guy, it could kill him pretty quick. You'd have to cut it into pieces to get it to let go. It would be a small consolation to the man that it couldn't eat him afterwards...

Is that the pic of the monster, or of the current record holder. Cause I don't think I can go along with the snake in the pic being nearly 1,000 pounds. Look at the man in the pic and then at the snake. The snake is in the foreground of the photo and still doesn't exactly dwarf the man. Considering that he should weigh at least 5 times what the man weighs it's hard to make things fit...

 

[Smoke]

Where did Matt go?

I need some help with my kids algebra

 

[one-shot-one]

sorry but

http://www.snopes.com/critters/wild/bigsnake.asp

 

[jamz]

Aw, you are NO FUN AT ALL.

 

[buzz_knox]

Someone call Lawdog. He's got experience with these critters. "Beef!"

 

[mtnbkr]

There is not a snake on this planet that can locomote as fast as a human who is even vaguely fit.

Doesn't matter. They hunt by ambush. By the time you knew it was there, it would be wrapped around you.

Chris