Cajun Cobra?
Posted by: Craig Woolheater on May 17th, 2011
WAFB
Insanely Huge Snake Spotted Near Morganza, Real or Fake???
A snapshot of what is being called the “Morganza Snake” has been making it’s rounds on Facebook causing an uproar as people argue whether it is “real” or “fake.” We have heard from all the city and government officials that with the opening of the Morganza Spillway, that we may see animals (snakes, gators, bears, deer, hogs) in places that we don’t normally see them as they seek higher ground from the water pouring into areas designated to relieve the swelling Mississippi.
Here in the studio, we have determined that this photo-that originated from user ‘capelloamy’ on WAFB’s official website–has a few things that just don’t add up.
1. The snake is easily 20 ft. long and we can’t think of a species of snake in Louisiana that gets to that size.
2. Someone noticed that some of the plants in the background aren’t common in Louisiana.
3. Why would a snake of any size be traveling so close to the road?But, we aren’t experts, and we are torn, so please tell us … Real or Fake ???Dj Digital
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Co-founder of Cryptomundo in 2005.
I have appeared in or contributed to the following TV programs, documentaries and films:
OLN's Mysterious Encounters: "Caddo Critter", Southern Fried Bigfoot, Travel Channel's Weird Travels: "Bigfoot", History Channel's MonsterQuest: "Swamp Stalker", The Wild Man of the Navidad, Destination America's Monsters and Mysteries in America: Texas Terror - Lake Worth Monster, Animal Planet's Finding Bigfoot: Return to Boggy Creek and Beast of the Bayou.
This will shock a lot of you but to me, that’s a real snake. Most likely an escaped/abandoned exotic pet.
If this was concocted using picture editing software, whoever did it paid attention to detail.
Light reflection seems consistent throughout the picture. The brightest patch on the skin of the snake and reflected light from tree trunks in the background all point to the same direction.
The shadow underneath the raised head appears as one would expect given its size and shape and the general lighting factors.
There appears to be a skid mark trailing behind the tail of the snake suggesting bent grass.
One thing I have issues with is the snake’s posture. When a snake, particularly a cobra, raises its head it is in attack/defense mode and not travel mode, right?
If this snake is confronting something then why wasn’t the opponent in the picture too?
Quick question: which of those plants aren’t common to Louisiana? If they’re the one’s that look kinda like palms, you gotta remember that plants that aren’t native are still planted; it’s called landscaping. Also you have to remember Louisiana’s climate is conducive to species both tropical and subtropical, and a few from hardier climes.
This is a real snake, a King Brown Snake but its habitat is Australia.
If my google-foo is up to par this was taken a few days ago in NSW, Australia.
These snakes are known to get large and eat other snakes as well as lizards and assorted pests.
Much has been posted on this regarding the plants being ones that can be found in Louisiana, ones that are planted in gardens in the state, and actually that you can see this is next to a cultivated site. Also, no signs of Photoshopping are visible.
While this 16 ft long snake may not have been photographed as a result of the flooding in Louisiana, it still may be a remarkably real picture of an actual snake somewhere in the world.
Being from LA, I don’t really see any of the fauna out of spec. However, I cannot see this as being a native species.
The only native species of snake to my knowledge that raises its head in that cobra-like fashion is a blue runner, which comes no where close to the size of the snake in the picture.
Would love it to find out what the heck it is though!
Let this be a lesson to all of you crypto-hunters: A second photograph of this snake would do wonders to lend credibility to the shot. Study of the movement, head position, and sun reflections would authenticate the sighting and help identify the species of this creature.
In this digital age go ahead and snap picture after picture after picture.
“This is a real snake, a King Brown Snake but its habitat is Australia.
If my google-foo is up to par this was taken a few days ago in NSW, Australia.
These snakes are known to get large and eat other snakes as well as lizards and assorted pests.”
Well, I’m from NSW and am not aware of any such local source of this photo (not saying there isn’t, just haven’t looked yet). My Googling indicates that a King Brown grows to only 10 ft (3 metres/meters).
What MountDesertIslander said, why was the photographer only able to produce one image?
To me the snake looks nothing like a King Brown, most non constrictors do not have shinny scales and king browns are a lighter color with dull scales. Also it is far too big to be a king brown.
I am also from Louisiana and its not an indigenous snake there. There are some big damn snakes in Louisiana but not that big. To answer Craig’s question “Why would a snake of any size be traveling so close to the road?” Snakes of all sizes travel near roads all the time, usually in the morning when they are cold. They are killed often because they enjoy laying on the hot road surface.
Judging by the length, girth and head size, it looks like a cobra to me. It also looks like a gray rat snake someone photo shopped. Just guesses, I am not sure what kind of snake it is. Cool photo though…
The image shows up in several places in a Google Image search; mostly tied to photoshop and hoaxer sites. As said, the Mugli is only ten feet long and reddish-brown to gray in colour. IF (big ‘if’) this is NOT a photoshop, it could be a pet constrictor who finds Morganza very hospitable. Maybe there’s a colony of such snakes, because, like termites, if you see one, there is many more undiscovered.
“Why would a snake of any size be traveling so close to the road?” Sorry Craig, I miss wrote my last remark. I meant to say the question in the story you posted.
if this was actually photographed near Morganza it is definitely not a native species. It may well be an escaped or released exotic species that has adapted to the Louisiana environment, which in many cases is very similar to the areas in Florida where constrictors have establibled a foothold. The trees and plants in the background do not appear to be anything out of the ordinary for south Louisiana. The tall grassy growth in the background does appear to be a cultivated flooded sugarcane field, a common crop that is grown in that area near Morganza.
That looks like a real snake to me. A Black Rat Snake. But it’s way bigger than they normally get. I am from NC and when I was a child, my mom used to catch snakes for us to play with when we got home from school. My mom is 100% country girl. She taught us how to (gently) handle snakes, which ones were poisonous, and how to avoid getting bit by them. These buggers used to climb on our big steel gate and wrap around the latch. I guess because it was a warm spot to catch some rays. As the oldest daughter, it was my job to unwrap the buggers and safely remove them, so we could drive through the gate. The biggest one I ever had to wrangle was about 7ft. Sorry for the nostalgia there, lol. I’m no expert and I have no idea what snakes are even native to LA, but looks like a rat snake to me.
As to why there wasn’t a 2nd pic…snakes move very fast. Also, most people wouldn’t stick around to take another pic of such a huge snake. As for the head movement, take a look at this link:
Why is it slithering so close to the road? Probably heading for a nice hot piece of asphalt. Around here, it’s pretty common to see dead black snakes on the roads during summertime. But who knows, snakes do some strange things. One time my sister watched one slither out of the woods, up the side of her house and right up to the 2nd story window where she was sitting. She took that as a bad omen, lol.