Reptile & Amphibian Forums

A friend sent me this. I don't know how accurate it is, but....

Welcome to Florida!

This is a snake!

If I were you, I'd stay away from the KB homes subdivision near St. Augustine !

THIS IS A REALLY BIG SNAKE!!!!!!!!

Guess what was found just south of Jacksonville........

Near the St. Augustine outlet, in a new KB homes subdivision......15 foot Eastern Diamondback rattlesnake. Largest ever caught on record

After seeing this, I did a little research, and learned the following:

One bite from a snake this large contains enough venom to kill over 40 full grown men

The head alone is larger than the hand of a normal sized man

This snake was probably alive when George H. W. Bush was President.

A bite from those fangs would equal being penetrated by two 1/4 inch screwdrivers.

A snake this size could easily swallow a 2 year-old child.

A snake this size has an approximately 5 and 1/2 foot accurate striking distance.

(The distance for an average size Rattlesnake is about 2 feet)

Judging by the size of the snake, it is estimated to weigh over 170 pounds.

How much do you weigh?

Yeah,

I actually posted that same pic on a different forum last summer. Everyone said it was the angle of the pic making the snake look a lot larger than it really was. It was still an impressive rattler. It is also an older pic. I was pretty impressed with it too.

Bill
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2.1 Tripple Het Caramel, Orange Ghost, Genetic Stripe
1.1 Het Lavenders
1.1 Het Caramel Albino
0.1 Het Albino
0.1 Spider Het Albino
0.1 Het Pied
1,1 Pastel Het for Orange Ghost
1.0 Albino
0.1 Spinner
1.1 Super Pastel
0.1 Jungle Pastel
1.0 Pied 50 percent White
0.1 Clown
0.3 Normal
1.1 Kids
0.1 Spouse
1.0 Chocolate Lab

Unless the snake was measured directly I would doubt the 15 ft number. It looks like the snake is closer to the camera than the backround to make it look bigger. Thats an old trick to super size stuff in photos.

If that is a real measurment then its an impresive snake. Shame on those who would kill it.
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1 BP
4 Cal Kings 3 alb 1 het
3 Alb Corn
1 Rev Alb Nelsons

Two screwdrivers eh? That's a HUGE pocketknife!!!!!!!!

That photo has been circulating on the web for a long time. The actual story of the rattler is it WAS a big one-an honest 6 footer lol. As usual, the photograph uses a trick of perspective (one we fishermen have known for years)to make an ordinary snake look gargantuan.

The actual record for E. Diamondbacks is less than half the purported length of this one!
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Brad Chambers
WWW.HCU-TX.ORG

Breeder of:
Green Tree Pythons
Jungle Carpet Pythons
Pastel, Pinstripe, FIRE, Piebald, Clown, Lavender Albino, Leucistic, and Spider Ball Pythons
Striped Colombian Boa Constrictors
Kenyan, Rufescens, and Conicus Sand Boas
Red Phase Western Hognose Snakes
Spider Western Hognose Snakes
Albino Western Hognose Snakes
Locality Trans-Pecos Mexican Hognose Snakes
Southern Hognose Snakes
Eastern Hognose Snakes
Tricolor Hognose Snakes
Hypo Checkered Garter Snakes
Eastern Blackneck Garter Snakes
Stillwater Hypo Bullsnakes
Patternless Bullsnakes
S. GA Eastern Kingsnakes
Locality Desert Kingsnakes
Albino Desert Kingsnakes
Hypo Desert Kingsnakes
Mexican Black Kingsnakes
Desert Phase, Striped Desert, Newport, and Coastal California Kingsnakes
Locality Mexican Milksnakes
Spotted Mexican Milksnakes
Tangerine Mexican Milksnakes
Locality Alterna
Abbott Okeetee Cornsnakes
Mexican Baird's Ratsnakes
Cape Housesnakes
Tangerine Albino African Fat -Tailed Geckos
Locality Spotted Turtles

Very true,Ross Allen of Silver Springs had offered $500 for any eastern Diamondback 8 ft. or over and to my knowledge no one ever collected the money.

Pretty obvious its a trick shot with camera angles...just the size of the 'hook' used to hold the snake...it would be a 20' pole or more...never seen any hook or 'gentle giant' type hook that long. The shot with the fangs, looks pretty much like typical rattle snake fangs, which a pocket knife is used to expose them. I expect if the snake really was 15' long, those fangs would be far bigger than shown in the picture.
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PHLdyPayne

in all honesty, if I had an EDB that was over 8ft I wouldn't sell it for $500. maybe add another zero behind that price. I've seen in my life 1 wild EDB that was a legit 6 footer and that is one monster snake to almost step on.
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Josh & Krysty Hutto

Various Ball Pythons, boas, dogs, cats, fish, a couple sulcatas and a few other odds and ends.

a BAD dog is MADE not bred, support the American Pit Bull Terrier as the greatest breed of dogs on Earth!!!!!

Here is a large eastern,photo compliments of Terry Vandeventer.The deck boards are 6 in. Do the math .This snake is about 6ft 9in.

actually 2 x 6's are really 5 1/2" wide which would make this animal roughly 6'3" but still a monster. That is about the same size as the one legit wc 6'er that I've seen. I have seen several captive raised animals that were between 6'-7' though and those were some huge animals.
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Josh & Krysty Hutto

Various Ball Pythons, boas, dogs, cats, fish, a couple sulcatas and a few other odds and ends.

a BAD dog is MADE not bred, support the American Pit Bull Terrier as the greatest breed of dogs on Earth!!!!!

You are like me,stickler for details but don,t forget the gap between the boardstThanks Terry

ok so we can call it 6'5" and meet in the middle, lol.
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Josh & Krysty Hutto

Various Ball Pythons, boas, dogs, cats, fish, a couple sulcatas and a few other odds and ends.

a BAD dog is MADE not bred, support the American Pit Bull Terrier as the greatest breed of dogs on Earth!!!!!

Located half way between Miami and Naples on Tamiami tr.in the Big Cypress,it was a gas station /restaurant that had an EDB skin on the wall that was GIANT it has been many decades but i still remember it.