Authorities in Maine have been searching for a giant snake since a woman claimed to have seen it near a playground in June. The snake was described to be extraordinarily enormous having a head the size of a soccer ball and body as long as a truck.
Several sightings of the snake dubbed "Wessie" have been reported since. Officers, who claimed to have spotted the snake eating a beaver a few days later, estimated that the reptile measures at least 10 feet long. Despite its reported size, the reptile has evaded capture.
Concerns over a potentially dangerous reptile, however, have grown over the weekend. Westbrook police now warn the public about snakes after a resident found a large snakeskin near Presumpscot River at around 3 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 20. The snakeskin was discovered near the Riverbank Park's boat launch area.
Authorities believe the skin likely belongs to the snake they have been trying to find since June. Police officers collected the sheddings so the skin can be analyzed to determine what type of snake it is.
Experts said that a snake capable of eating a mammal as big as a beaver and having skin as large as the one found near the river would not be native to the area.
"Westbrook Police Officers responded, photographed, collected, and tagged the skin which will be examined in attempts to determine what type of snake shed it and what risks this type of snake poses to public safety," Westbrook Maine Police Department said in a statement.
Some, however, are skeptical and even suggest that the giant snake in Maine is all a hoax based on the condition and placement of the snakeskin as shown in the police photo.
Rob Christian, the president of the Maine Herpetological Society in Millinocket, said that snakes do not shed out in the open just what the enormous Westbrook snake apparently did.
"Getting a full shed like that, even under ideal conditions, is really unusual," Christian said explaining that snakes rub their skin against rough vegetation and rocks to help them get rid of their old skin when they shed.
"You're going to find the snakeskin wrapped around branches. You wouldn't see a regular shed out in the open like that, especially a large snake like that."
Christian also noted the curious stretched-out placement of the skin. The herpetologist said that the shed skin of a large snake measuring more than 4 feet long is typically rolled up into a ball.
