Snakes worthy of our nightmares

Earlier this month local authorities in California warned residents that a 23-foot long python was on the loose. The 130-pound female snake, which belongs to Brandon Dennis, is large enough to eat small children.

The enormous python was later found basking in the sun in a backyard “several blocks” from Brandon’s home.  There were no immediate reports of missing children or pets, so it’s likely the snake’s day on-the-town resulted in nothing more than heart palpitations for the neighbors.

Brandon and another young man combined forces to carry the mega-python home. Local authorities say they will not cite the python for violating any ordinances, as there are no leash laws for snakes in the locality.

The snakes that pop up in my nightmares are always rattlers, the kind of snake I’ve met outdoors all my life in the rural West.

Until reading about the California incident in the news, it’s never occurred to me to fear a snake that’s basically my own size and would happily down a whole Beagle for lunch.

But if you want to truly fuel your nightmares, consider the remains of a reptile made public earlier this month. Part of a fossil snake in Colombia was discovered that is the largest snake ever known.

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