anacondas in NY!!!
 

well, not quite!

my youngest son Cole and i were "turkey hunting" with his red ryder. he says "dad, I shoot that snake"... i figured it was a garter snake, and i asked him where it was. he says right THERE...well, about 2 feet from my head is the BIGGEST BLACK SNAKE i have ever seen. i mean, BIG. so , being the nut that i am i grab it crocodile hunter style and it proceeds to wrap it self around my hand, arm and head. my son is laughing like crazy. now, i know i gotta take a pictur of this thing, as no one is going to believe me. we head for the jeep. picture me and my 3 year old riding home . me with a giant snake attached to my upper body. we got more than a few looks from passing motorists!

we got him home and took pictures. he was quite mellow, actually. he taped out at 76 inches, as straight as we could get him. we let him go unharmed to controll the mouse population near our local quarry. VERY cool animal.

oh yeah his name is "Boonkey", Cole said:D

RE: anacondas in NY!!!
 

and another

RE: anacondas in NY!!!
 

this is where we found him stretched out, couldnt fit him into the frame!

RE: anacondas in NY!!!
 

thats a beautiful snake.We have loss are snake population around here the past several years. they just eemed to disappear. Same as the lizards and turtles .GONE

RE: anacondas in NY!!!
 

I saw a snake like that in Massachusetts about 15 years or so ago. I was walking around the back of my parents 200+ year old rock foundation house, BAREFOOT, and the thing came out of the foundation and slithered right by me. I nearly took a heart attack for real. I guessed the one I saw to be between 6 and 8 feet long and it was black too the best I could tell. I hope I never see another one.

RE: anacondas in NY!!!
 

Neat - I loved snakes as kid - still like them today - Glad your son got a kick out of it.

Is it Rat snake? Does anyone know - I'm curious.


FH

RE: anacondas in NY!!!
 

Yes, it is a rat snake. All black snakes are in fact black rat snakes. As hatchlings and even young adults they have the patterns that are common among rat snake but lose the patterns as they become adults. They are actually the same species of snakes as corn snakes which are actually red rat snakes but the corns keep their patters throughout their entire life. I used to have about thirty different types of rat snakes but of course the wife frowns upon that when you move in together.:D

RE: anacondas in NY!!!
 

yep, as bear said its a common black rat. they are pretty common around here, but i never saw one quite this big. thanks for the replies!

RE: anacondas in NY!!!
 

moose, I used to hunt for snakes for hours as a kid and have caught hundreds in my time but the biggest black snake I ever found was laying accross my parents driveway. I know the driveway alone was 7 feet wide and there was about a foot hanging off each side. It's a good guess to say he was between 8 and 9 feet long and as fat as my forearm. I also had a yellow rat as a pet that was just as big. Rat snakes are actually the best snakes to get as pets for a beginner.

RE: anacondas in NY!!!
 

bear-

i actually had a reptile importing business back in the early 90's. you name it, ive had it! Burms, monitors, tegus, skinks, chamelons, caimans, even some "hot" stuff, but having 3 kids changed the layout of the house, you know?


around here, corn snakes are fairly rare. ive only seen one pair all my life.

now my thing is turtles and tortoises. ive got 4 right now, including a baby sulcata that will outlive all of us! he's only 6 months old, so i figure he's got a good 150 + years left to grow!

i'll post some pics of my cold blooded friends as i find them