Posted on 06/07/2012 11:58:28 PM PDT by Theoria
It's the talk of at least one part of Columbia and it all started Tuesday with a phone call from a concerned neighbor.
Heathwood resident Andrew Philson got a call about a snake in his backyard and thought he'd be finding a small garter or black snake, but got the shock of his life when he saw the beast slithering up one of his trees.
That snake has slithered his way into the national spotlight. First, WIS, then CNN, Fox, even the Drudge Report. Why? Well, it's a big snake and who knows how long it had been sneaking -- or snaking -- around in Philson's backyard?
One thing Philson does know, the darn thing was huge. "I'm saying 15 to 20 feet long," he said.
Philson lost track of the snake shortly after taking the pictures, which have now shown up on TV monitors and web sites all over the world. They've also led to some criticism from people including South Carolina Department of Natural Resources snake expert Steve Bennett.
Bennett says it's a rat snake, plain and simple -- a common and useful creature and one that as far as anyone knows, never gets anywhere close to the size claimed by Philson.
"What happens is when people see these things, they are so shocked and probably scared, it changes their whole way of thinking," Bennett said.
Philson does not seem like someone prone to panic, even in the presence of an oversized reptile. A former state trooper, Philson recently served a tour of military duty in Afghanistan.
"I know that when I testified in court in my previous job, that accuracy counts," Philson said.
"People who are otherwise fairly honest and you know, straightforward people, will see something like that and just automatically overestimate and exaggerate the size of it," Bennett said. "It's just human nature.
A wildlife removal company is planning to conduct an all-out search for the snake on Thursday.
R U guys calling me an idiot?
Listen. Don’t ping me to a thread about a GIANT snake, then when I react to it, tell me it’s an illusion and call me an idiot because I reacted to it. If you are seeking to make yourself feel superior, at least make it honest.
“R U” answering to it?
:)
Said what?
/saw nothing
:)
“Diet in the Wild:
Rat snakes are primarily known as rodent eaters, however other food preferences do exist. As juveniles, rat snakes eat small lizards, baby mice, and an occasional small frog. Adult rat snakes have a diet mainly consisting of mice and rats, but also include chipmunks, moles, and other small rodents. Adults also eat bird eggs and young. Rat snakes kill their prey by constriction.
Zoo Diet:
They are fed mice, chicks, and rats.”
Not a single “CATS, small dogs, ducks, birds, squirrels, Possum, raccoons( YAY!) and possibly a small child! “ on the menu.
If *I* had posted such histrionic garbage, I’d certainly feel like an accomplished idiot.
Et tu?
:)
All I know is that when I am tempted to post something stupid, I can *feel* a Disapproving Doberman Stare.
I suspect you have Odhinn lurking on Free Republic to minimize my stupidity, don’t you?
(Thank you! It works...mostly. :-) )
;]
Not that! We promises to behaves, we does!
(Just lets us look at the Precious?)
Meh...here's a new one.
[think I'll keep this one for 'general use']...;D
Now now, you don’t really disapprove of my posts; here’s some bacon.
That’s a good boy, now who’s your favorite Freeper? Who? Who?
Is it that nice Altariel, who gives you bacon, or that Salamander, who tells you to disapprove of——
Oh. Hi. Pay no attention to this private conversation between Doberman and Freeper. ;-)
If you see a 10 foot long snake in your yard, I think you should call authorities to take it away. Being poisonous, I would not want to take the chance of my kid being bitten. Neglect on your part.
“Well, fortunately, I have a busy life and didn’t have the time to look up a rat snakes diet”
And yet, you had the time to make up a “fact” about a rat snake’s diet and you now have the time to continue arguing about it, though you admit to having failed to do the most basic of research?
Would it not be better to research, and then post, if time is so precious for you?
Second, since I was called an idiot for responding to the misleading photo, I was forced to respond.
The average person in here doesn't even bother reading the entire article before posting, and you expect people to do research about a misleading photo of a rat snake? You do have a lot of time on your hands don't you. Your comment makes no sense. See, if time is precious, you don't waste time looking up info on an article that you thought was 'straight up' and not misleading. DO you get that?
Time is always precious to me, and I just lost another 10 minutes of my life explaining it to you. Wow.
Tell me, do you think a rat snake would eat a kitten?
>They like moths too. And by “like” I mean “eat.”<
You forgot the next step, where they park on the most expensive, most difficult to clean piece of furniture and barf the insect parts back up.
Mine never barf up moths. They save that honor for hairballs and the occasionally gobbled-too-fast dinner.
Actually, I was making an observation. Clearly, you do have more free time on your hands than you claimed to possess.
Secondly, anyone may reply to any post on a public message board. If you wish to make a private reply to a poster, use that button.
Thirdly, you were not called an idiot. You lashed out at other posters instead of addressing the crux of their point. That is not wise.
Fourthly, if time was that precious to you, you wouldn’t take the time to “defend your honor” repeatedly. You’re not being honest in that, which doesn’t establish your honesty as a Freeper.
Your initial post in this thread was not factually based, but fear based. Conservatives discuss based on facts, not fear. You are still basing your opinions on fear.
You are not providing facts, but are still promoting suppositions.
If you are afraid of snakes, that is a reasonable admission, but making up “facts” about a given snake in support of your fear is not intellectually honest behavior on a conservative discussion forum.
Anoles are very helpful, in that regard: free roach control if allowed to roam.
I like free roach control. :-)
Unless, of course, you get a “sensitive” cat who looks at the roach, looks at you with a “you want me to touch *that*?” expression, and hops up on the couch and looks at you as though to say “If you want it hunted and killed, YOU hunt it.”
(Cats can choose the most inconvenient times to be particular.)
:-)
My chief hunter is a 16 lb tomcat who has, at various times, eaten rubber bands, moths, mosquitoes, the soft bits from a spider, a clump of hair from another cat, skin ointment, dust bunnies, and probably many other things I haven’t caught him eating. He does not have tender sensibilities.
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