Yep, I remember that silly stuff about the giant rat snake. Now that I am seeing that photo on a computer screen with a bit better resolution, I can see that it is definitely a black rat, and the "tree" it is climbing is most likely well in front of that building = the photo fore-shortening trick like the "giant rattler" people like to pull.
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-Toby Brock
Southwestern Center for Herpetological Research