A huge rattlesnake photographed in Florida had people debating whether they were looking at one of the biggest snakes of its kind in North America.
Here’s what to know
Photos of the snake, taken on Amelia Island, appeared in a Reddit thread that picked up 4,500 upvotes and almost 600 comments.
“It was about six feet long and very very thick,” the original poster wrote. “Could this be a record?”
Photo Credit: Reddit
Photo Credit: Reddit
“No clue, but it is an absolute UNIT,” one commenter wrote. Another joked: “I didn’t know they could get that big. And I live in Australia.”
One user cautioned, “Scientists doing field studies are really really really bad at guesstimating the sizes of reptiles from a safe distance, with sizes that vary wildly from 20-200% compared to the actual length of, say, a snake.”
“The largest confirmed specimen from 1946 was 3 inches short of 8 feet. That’s the largest whole rattlesnake ever measured, half a century ago,” one commenter who has worked in the field with diamondbacks said. “Stretched skins and forced perspective will always produce incredible stories that have zero backing, just as people with a phobia will have a warped perception and inflate their reports.”
More background
“He controls the golf course now,” the OP said, highlighting how large wildlife can adapt to human settings.
Across the thread, there were stories about large snakes in yards, roads, neighborhoods, and recreation areas.
The overlap between wildlife habitat and development is also part of the broader story behind animal-human encounters.
What can be done?
The OP stayed back, took photos, and asked others to identify and assess the animal from a distance.
As for proving whether the rattlesnake was record-breaking, one commenter said: “That’s a big diamondback for sure. They can get over 7 feet, but anything close to or over 6 is so rare that seeing one is probably a once-in-a-lifetime event.
“They are under review for listing as endangered and will almost certainly be designated as such in the next few years. I’ve spent a good part of my life roaming the woods in Florida, and I’ve only seen a handful.”
Where can I learn more?
Big snake sightings happen in Florida and beyond.
• In Florida, a father and son spotted a plump eastern diamondback while doing lawn work.
• A Florida camera trap caught a bobcat attacking the world’s largest rattlesnake species.
• In South Carolina, an eastern diamondback swam the length of a backyard pool.
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