Giant 55ft snake shocks China

[SlyPokerDog]

A photograph purporting to show a 55ft snake found in a forest in China has become an internet sensation.

It was originally posted in a thread on the website of the People's Daily, the official Communist Party newspaper in China.

The thread claimed the snake was one of two enormous boas found by workers clearing forest for a new road outside Guping city, Jiangxi province.

They apparently woke up the sleeping snakes during attempts to bulldoze a huge mound of earth.

"On the third dig, the operator found there was blood amongst the soil, and with a further dig, a dying snake appeared," said the post.

"At the same time, another gold coloured giant boa appeared with its mouth wide open. The driver was paralysed with fear, while the other workers ran for their lives.

"By the time the workers came back, the wounded boa had died, while the other snake had disappeared. The bulldozer operator was so sick that he couldn't even stand up."

The post claimed that the digger driver was so traumatised that he suffered a heart attack on his way to hospital and later died.

The dead snake was 55ft (16.7m) long, weighed 300kg and was estimated to be 140 years old, according to the post.

However, local government officials in Guiping say the story and photograph are almost certainly a hoax as giant boas are not native to the area.

http://www.ananova.com/News/story/sm_3557842.html

 

[VanillaGorilla]

However, local government officials in Guiping say the story and photograph are almost certainly a hoax as giant boas are not native to the area.

... lol I was really amazed before that sentence.

 

[speeds]

I think even the largest pythons only grow to just over 30 feet. 55 feet would be prehistoric sized (and kind of hard to miss).

 

[Colonel Ronan]

Prove it!

 

[CelticKing]

the pic proves it

 

[Colonel Ronan]

Nah, not at all.

 

[dpc]

Speeds is right. Generally pythons are the longest of all snakes reaching around 30 feet (I think the official measured record is 32 feet, this isn't counting the rumored snake in Indonesia thats apparently 49 feet). Boas usually only get to around 15 feet at max. Not saying this disproves this, but just something to think about.

 

[BenDavis503]

... lol I was really amazed before that sentence.

Me too. Also, I cannot find any other pictures except that one.

It is a hoax!

Here is another cool pic I found searching for more pics of this snake. Fake or not, this is pretty cool to look at!

 

[BlazerWookee]

I think it's called "forced perspective." Compare the snake to the bucket, not to the men. If that snake is 55 feet long, then that bucket is 13 feet minimum, and the tree on the right has leaves over a yard long...

 

[SodaPopinski]

Sorry about that, China

 

[julius]

Me too. Also, I cannot find any other pictures except that one.

It is a hoax!

Here is another cool pic I found searching for more pics of this snake. Fake or not, this is pretty cool to look at!

That's just from a boat, unless that snake is like 100 feet long.

 

[elcap15]

I hate snakes. Of all sizes

 

[SlyPokerDog]

That's just from a boat, unless that snake is like 100 feet long.

Read BlazerWookee's "forced perspective" reply. If you look closely you can tell it's part of an image carved into the back of an Obama Chia pet head.

 

[Colonel Ronan]

How would they pick that snake up, anyway?

 

[BlazerWookee]

How would they pick that snake up, anyway?

Offer to buy it a drink?