Comments on: Córdoba’s Giant Snake

By: cliffhanger042002

cliffhanger042002 — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 15:41:42 +0000

Alligator – Thanks for the tip, I had noticed before that if you buy a snake and have it shipped that the shippers use those clear plastic mailing tubes, that’s a very good idea for containing one for measurement too.

I noticed one a separate post that you have kept rattlers in the past?? WOW, lol. Those are beautiful snakes, and to me most venomous snakes are actually “prettier” and have more elaborate patterns than the non-venomous variety, but I’ll have to stick to the non-venomous snakes, lol. I do like the western hognose though, that is the one non-venomous snake that I know of that has the same feel to it as a hot snake. That actually may be the next addition to my collection.

By: Alligator

Alligator — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 00:39:34 +0000

Small snakes – put them in a mailing tube, etc. Find a size big enough to for snake to go through, not oo big or too small. Generally they will stretch out okay if they feel enclosed. on bigger sometimes I’ve had good luck getting them to lay against the baseboard of a wall.

I agree cliffhanger – tape measures have a way of reducing the size of snakes considerably. Just like scales reduce the weight of fish. I’ve gotten calls to get a “seven or eight foot” blacksnake out of someone’s house. It always turns out to be four or five feet tops. Just like that five or six pound bass is usually three or four.

Most people are terrible at estimating size and weight of animals especially in a setting where they are surprised or traumatized as these Colombians evidently are. Its’ probably a big anaconda, and much bigger than they’ve seen in several decades. A hundred years ago, really huge (28 – 30) foot anacondas were probably far more common than they are now.

By: cliffhanger042002

cliffhanger042002 — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 21:10:47 +0000

Depends on the snake really. That may actually work on a large snake, but my small snakes have seemingly fragile heads and really like to coil/wrap for security when being handled. I actually tried a string but to no avail. So the best method, that works for me in the particular case of the snakes that I own, is to take them outside in the very short grass of my front yard, set the snake down and let it start moving good towards whatever direction, and as soon as the snake is stretched out fully I will put the measuring tape (outstrected) in it’s path a little ahead of the snake and when it’s head reaches the end of the tape I quickly look at the tape and tail and take note. Other’s with more experience with snakes may have developed better ways, but that seems to be the quickest/easiest for me and seems the snake is most outstretched during locomotion

Thanks for the suggestion though RPJ, I appreciate it.

By: red_pill_junkie

red_pill_junkie — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 19:57:02 +0000

I’m no herpetologist, but I always thought the best way to measure a snake was with a good ol’ piece of string that you put on the serpent’s top side starting from the head and taking it with your fingers all the way to the end of the tail. You know, because trying to straighten an adult anaconda or a python… that would be quite a difficult task

By: cliffhanger042002

cliffhanger042002 — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 16:45:43 +0000

That’s an interesting correlation between recent fossil findings of a giant snake species and the more recent sightings/encounters of a giant snake……..the power of suggestion perhaps???

There are alot of reports of giant snakes out there, so it does make you wonder about the validity of whether or not they exist in sizes greater than 30 feet. But even at 30 feet it would be hard for most people to estimate the size of the animal accurately without some sort of measuring device. In this report they said that the snake is estimated at 39 feet, so it could simply be a maximum size anaconda of 30 feet just exaggerated a bit, or an anaconda that is the exception rather than the rule. But it seems to me like it would be very difficult to tell the difference between an anaconda 30 feet long from one 40 feet long (on the ground) without actually measuring it. And snakes are very hard to measure too. I have 2 young corn snakes, the youngest is between 18-20 inches, and the oldest is between 26-28 inches long. I just measured them the other day. But when I got the oldest one out of her cage my wife and I estimated that she was up to maybe 3 feet long, but when we actually got out the measuring tape, laid her on the ground and got her to start travelling in a straight line and put the tape down beside her she measured about 27 inches (give or take an inch). If you actually try to pull the snake tight for measuring, they will not cooperate, lol. But the point is, it is very hard to estimate the size of a snake, and I’m pretty good with distances, dimensions, etc and I think if I can be off by 6-8 inches on a 2-3 foot snake, imagine the room for error on a 20′ to 30′ long snake………