A man in North Carolina got quite a shock when he reached down for what he thought was a black garden hose, only to realize it was a very large black rat snake!
Tiffany and Brian Walsh live on four acres in Huntersville, North Carolina. Two of the four acres is a large pond which happens to be an ideal living arrangement for a black rat snake.
In an interview with a local news station WBTV, Brian admitted the sheer size of the snake caught him “off guard” and was terrified when he realized what it was. He said it was common for them to encounter black rat snakes, however, they had never come across one of this magnitude before.
The snake was at least six feet long and due to its large size, you could hear it rustle through the leaves as it slithered away.
Brian shared that the reptile looked even larger in motion due to it being fully extended, and the movement of the snake was “mesmerizing” to watch as the snake effortlessly made its way through the brush.
As Brian watched the huge snake slither off into the bushes, the sheer weight of the snake made it “sound like a human walking on the branches and dried leaves.”
Brian’s wife, Tiffany, posted a picture of the giant black snake on a Snake Identification group on Facebook hoping to get confirmation that it was indeed a black rat snake as they had suspected.
In the comments of the Facebook group, everyone agreed it was a very healthy and large black rat snake. People commenting on the post expressed to the Walshes how lucky they were to have a black rat snake of that size living on their property to contend with rodents and other snakes.
The Walshes agreed and have decided to let the large snake continue to roam freely amongst their property.
Tiffany said, “It’s clearly been a long time, so it must keep its distance most of the time.”
You can find out more information on black rat snakes here and watch the informative video below.