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Snake rattles solo pilot in Mississippi
Yahoo News ^ | Aug 24 2007 | AP

Posted on 08/25/2007 12:45:18 PM PDT by stm

BROOKHAVEN, Miss. - It was no movie moment when a physician, flying himself across Mississippi in a one-seat plane, discovered a stowaway — a gray rat snake.

Dr. Ed Carruth discovered the snake-on-a-plane when it began "licking" his arm Thursday, he told The Daily Leader of Brookhaven.

"I've been flying planes for 50 years and over 14,000 hours, and this is the most unusual in-flight emergency I've encountered," he said. "I guess it wasn't exactly an emergency, but I did almost hurt myself when I saw it."

Needing to fly the plane and lacking tools to get rid of the snake, "I did some aerobatics," Carruth said. "And once he got oriented, he went to the back of the plane."

When Carruth arrived at Brookhaven Municipal Airport after his flight from Meridian, officials called a snake expert to remove the reptile. It's not uncommon for snakes to live in airplane hangars, said Joey Pradillo, the expert.

"The snakes are in there after the mice. And the hangar is cool on the inside, and that's why he was in there in the first place," he said. Pradillo released the snake into the wild.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Chit/Chat
KEYWORDS: aviation; herpetology; plane; snake; snakeonplane
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This guy got all freaked over a rat snake? A rattlesnake maybe, but a rat snake? Wuss.
1 posted on 08/25/2007 12:45:18 PM PDT by stm
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To: al baby; Allegra; Auntbee; BJClinton; Dashing Dasher; dfwddr; exile; feinswinesuksass; ...
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket TaЯd ping!

The "tards" are the ping list members - not necessarily the subject of the thread.

2 posted on 08/25/2007 12:47:34 PM PDT by EveningStar
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To: stm

I get creeped-out by spiders.


3 posted on 08/25/2007 12:51:58 PM PDT by 1rudeboy
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To: stm

4 posted on 08/25/2007 12:53:46 PM PDT by JRios1968 (Faith is not believing that God can. It is knowing that God will. - Ben Stein)
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To: stm

"We don't need mot.... snakes on the mot.... plane!"
5 posted on 08/25/2007 12:56:43 PM PDT by JRios1968 (Faith is not believing that God can. It is knowing that God will. - Ben Stein)
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To: stm

They’re not even poisonous, are they?


6 posted on 08/25/2007 1:01:06 PM PDT by lesser_satan (Fred Thompson '08)
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To: JRios1968
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
7 posted on 08/25/2007 1:07:59 PM PDT by lesser_satan (Fred Thompson '08)
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To: stm
This guy got all freaked over a rat snake? A rattlesnake maybe, but a rat snake? Wuss.

What's his party affiliation? That might explain why a RAT snake would freak him out.

8 posted on 08/25/2007 1:08:10 PM PDT by Redcloak (The 2nd Amendment isn't about sporting goods.)
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To: lesser_satan
“They’re not even poisonous, are they?”

No, but they can be very big and freaky.
I had an airplane when I lived in Memphis.
I am sure most any pilot would freak out if one slithered
in for a little companionship.

9 posted on 08/25/2007 1:09:28 PM PDT by AlexW (Reporting from Bratislava, Slovakia. Happy not to be back in the USA for now.)
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To: MoochPooch; ConservativeOrBust; tiggs; highimpact; Hydroshock; Darkwolf377; Brujo; Fawn

ping to new pingees


10 posted on 08/25/2007 1:14:07 PM PDT by EveningStar
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To: stm

Gray Ratsnakes are so laid back, unless you are a rat, that you’d really have to goad it to make it bite.


11 posted on 08/25/2007 1:21:49 PM PDT by SWAMPSNIPER (THE SECOND AMENDMENT, A MATTER OF FACT, NOT A MATTER OF OPINION)
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To: Aeronaut; Paleo Conservative

aviation


12 posted on 08/25/2007 1:23:18 PM PDT by EveningStar
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To: SWAMPSNIPER

Gray Rat Snake.

Cute little bugger.

L

13 posted on 08/25/2007 1:28:01 PM PDT by Lurker (Comparing moderate islam to extremist islam is like comparing small pox to ebola.)
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To: stm

Rat snakes impersonate rattlesnakes frequently as a means of self defense. They even change their heads to diamond shapes and hiss to sound like rattles. They’ve scared me more than once.


14 posted on 08/25/2007 1:49:41 PM PDT by loreldan (Without coffee I am nothing.)
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To: lesser_satan

Oh, that’s just my pet snake Reggie!


15 posted on 08/25/2007 1:52:42 PM PDT by pineybill (`)
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To: stm

*LOL* Wuss is right. I worked in a pet store years ago. One of my favorite snakes was a near 7 ft labyrinth Burmese python. I’d wear this snake wrapped around me every chance I got during shifts. A coworker owned a 11 ft albino Burmese python. Halloween was made memorable when the store owner stood in the front entranceway of the store (we were in a mall) with the albino python wrapped around him and handed out candy to the trick-or-treaters.


16 posted on 08/25/2007 2:41:44 PM PDT by Severa (I can't take this stress anymore...quick, get me a marker to sniff....)
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To: VR-21

Is it me, or has there been a lot of “snake in a plane” stories lately?


17 posted on 08/25/2007 2:47:04 PM PDT by VR-21
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To: stm
This guy got all freaked over a rat snake? A rattlesnake maybe, but a rat snake? Wuss.

Every snake to me is a poisonous snake! I hate snakes!!!!!!!!!!

18 posted on 08/25/2007 2:52:54 PM PDT by rawhide
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To: loreldan

Lord, have mercy, what you got to watch out for is HOOPSNAKES! They will twist around and grab their tail in their mouth, and roll down the hill at 60 mph, AND EAT YOU!
I see Rat Snakes almost daily, they don’t “impersonate” anything. I just pick them up and move them out of the way.
If you really persist, and aggravate a Rat Snake enough to bite you, it may die. Their teeth are fragile, biting you may cause a fatal mouth infection. Rat Snakes can live for 25 years, and they are no way totally stupid.
I don’t want to pick on you, but if you’re gonna get scared find something really scary!
Last thing to scare me was a Yankee girl from Atlantic City, pretty little critter, almost fooled me!


19 posted on 08/25/2007 3:23:18 PM PDT by SWAMPSNIPER (THE SECOND AMENDMENT, A MATTER OF FACT, NOT A MATTER OF OPINION)
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To: rawhide

“Every snake to me is a poisonous snake! I hate snakes!!!!!!!!!!”


Some democrats are the same way about guns! Your logic is no different! Time to gird your loins and find your balls!


20 posted on 08/25/2007 3:27:34 PM PDT by SWAMPSNIPER (THE SECOND AMENDMENT, A MATTER OF FACT, NOT A MATTER OF OPINION)
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