What was supposed to be a peaceful walk turned into a shock for a woman from South Carolina. She stumbled upon a “beast” hiding along the edge of a creek.
Meredith Langley wanted to warn others to be extra careful when walking through Jeffries Creek Park. That’s why she shared a photo of the massive creature on Facebook, startling online users.
“He probably already swallowed someone’s child,” wrote a netizen who promised never to go hiking again. Keep reading for more information about the mysterious creature!
Meredith Langley was walking through Jeffries Creek Park in Florence, South Carolina, when she came face to face with a terrifying creature that interrupted her enjoyment of the flora.
A giant brown snake – several meters long and thicker than a tree root – was hiding in the dirt along the edge of the creek.
The snake – basking in the sun – startled Langley. She wrote on Facebook, “Look at how well it blends in with its surroundings.”
“This was a good learning opportunity and example for my children who forget not to run ahead of me on trails!” Langley writes to members of the private Facebook group South Carolina Hiking Club.
The creature, about two to three meters long according to her, was “completely unafraid of us.”
“It looked at me calmly and with restraint, without aggression or fear. That told me that this creature was certainly sure it could defend itself if necessary, but it didn’t need to exert that energy unnecessarily. That area is its home, not ours. My children and I hold that respect and reverence when we are in nature.”
‘What a beast’
The online community was shocked when they saw the fearless snake, resting alongside a normal hiking trail.
Thinking her eyes were playing tricks on her, one netizen wrote, “What is that?” and another said, “This photo does not sell South Carolina.”
Others marveled at the size of the snake. “What a beast!” someone wrote.
“This looks like something you’d see in the Amazon rainforest,” said a second, while a third simply wrote, “That’s a whopper.”
One person jokingly said, “He probably already swallowed someone’s child,” adding, “I’m NOT hiking trails, end of story.”
Meanwhile, other cyber fans tried to identify the snake species: “That’s a huge water snake,” said one user. Cottonmouth snakes (also known as water moccasins) are highly venomous vipers that, along with copperheads, are common in the area.
Innocent water snake
Despite its menacing appearance, for which the snake is not to blame, it is a harmless water snake, says Sean Foley, herpetology curator at the Riverbanks Zoo & Garden.
“If they feel cornered or attacked, they defend themselves by flattening their heads and shaking their tails in leaves,” Foley tells McClatchy News. “By doing this, they appear dangerous to potential predators in the hope that they will be left alone.”
Referring to the snake’s huge size, Foley added that it is “not uncommon” and that “it takes several years to become this large.”
Big, small, deadly or not, all snakes are more beautiful when admired from a distance.
Langley adds to her post, “a good rule of thumb is to avoid them at all if you can.”
Have you ever crossed paths with a giant snake? Share your comments with us and then share this story so we can hear what others have to say about it!
Personally, I don’t find snakes to be very pleasant animals and will go out of my way if I see one. Read below for more articles from Newsner about snakes.
