Animal Urban Legends: Snakes

Viral images purport to show a 15-foot-long, 170-pound eastern diamondback rattlesnake caught in a subdivision near Jacksonville, Florida.

Emailed picture of a giant rattlesnake killed in Texas, allegedly measuring 9 feet 1 inch in length and weighing 97 pounds.

Viral image purports to show a large rattlesnake killed outside the town of Coleman, Texas.

Forwarded email warns that rattlesnakes have changed their behavior of late and are striking at humans and other animals without the customary warning rattle.

A child dies after being bitten by rattlesnakes lurking in a fast food restaurant play area.

Has your computer ever hissed at you? Here's a tale, complete with shocking photos, of a woman who probably wishes she'd called Animal Control instead of Tech Support when her PC began making strange noises.

If you think those little green grass snakes are totally harmless, you've got another think coming!

Emailed photos purport to show a nest of baby copperhead snakes found in the bottom of a plastic flower pot purchased at a grocery store.

A shopper in a department store is handling a coat, blanket, rug, or mattress (etc.), suddenly feels a sharp pain, and collapses. It turns out she was bitten by a snake hiding in the merchandise.

AUTHENTIC: Viral images show a 5-foot-long rat snake lurking inside a floral wreath on the front door of a home near Slidell, LA.

Various tales, some taller than others, accompany these images of an unfortunate python who tangled with an electric fence and lost.

Emailed image shows a very large snake (evidently a python) pulling its prey (evidently a wallaby, though some have labeled it a "cow") out of a body of water in Western Australia.

This charming series of photographs purports to show a gigantic serpent killed and dissected in the process of swallowing a full-grown human being.

Forwarded email purports to share instructions from a U.S. government Peace Corp manual on what to do if an anaconda or python attacks you in the wild.