![huge snake []](http://zuzutop.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/huge-snake-.jpg "huge snake []")
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.Via : peopledaily.com
November 14th, 2009 at 4:28 pm
Look at the size of the bucket on the machinery that is holding up the snake, distorted photography for sure.
December 23rd, 2009 at 2:24 pm
Yup it’s about average size I’d say. The bucket is way closer to the camera than the guys are.
December 25th, 2009 at 12:49 pm
Aww, poor snake
I’d be sick too if I killed such a magnificent creature.
January 5th, 2010 at 3:08 pm
The bucket is a special and not distorted. If chinese says its lies you can bet its the truth
January 15th, 2010 at 3:40 am
This photo is true, but was taken in Papua New Guinea towards the end last year – not China. Such snakes are also found from time to time here.
Contact the country’s two daily newspapers for verification…
January 15th, 2010 at 5:17 pm
Just for clarification the snake is a Reticulated python (Python reticulatus), not a boa.
January 16th, 2010 at 2:43 pm
that is a reticulated python (python reticulatus) not a boa
January 17th, 2010 at 3:02 pm
Even if the bucket is closer to the camera, I’d still say that snake was capable of killing and eating one of those guys (before they chopped it up with a digger at least!)
January 30th, 2010 at 2:28 pm
Actually,
It was not china, and it was not Papua.
This picture was taken in a forest in Kalimantan (Indonesian part of Borneo) when they were preparing the area for coal mining.
I got the soft copy of the original file from a friend who worked in the mining company. It was taken last year by a coleague of my frind with a cheap pocket camera, but it was for sure real.
Of course the bucket and snake apear to be very big compared to the people on the backgrund. It’s a normal effect you get with small-lens cameras.
The snake it self was actually about 10m (~30ft) long, which is big, but not the biggest in the area.
January 31st, 2010 at 8:59 pm
i cant believe they would say its a hoax…thats like a slap in the face to the person who died from the heart attack
February 1st, 2010 at 8:50 pm
that’s not a boa at all, its a python.
and they have a 33 footer at the houston zoo.
it’s real, and really a maneater.
but the one in that photo aint 55 feet, though every bit of 40 and some change…
February 2nd, 2010 at 2:32 am
That is amazing, might be fake, but wow if it’s real!!