Take a look at this picture and shudder.
That's apparently the moulted skin of a snake. An enormously large snake. A snake that was last spotted munching on a large mammal, possibly a beaver.
That was back in June. But now comes this picture from over the weekend, indicating it's still hanging around.
The townsfolk in Westbrook, Maine, are fascinated. They've given the 10-foot-long reptile a name, Wessie. It's got its own Twitter feed (obviously) ...
Transfixed, mesmerized, captivated, obsessed...go on.
.. and — we kid you not — its own tribute song.
But until cops can figure out what kind of snake they're dealing with here — a python? a boa constrictor? — they're warning residents to keep a safe distance.
Slip sliding away
A resident first spotted the snake slithering past a children's playground in June.
A few days later, two officers spotted it eating its beaver/large mammal meal and then swim away across the river.
They knew the snake would lay low for a couple of days. After all, it had eaten a substantial meal.
On Saturday, officials came across the snake skin in a park.
The police department sent in a tissue sample and photos to a herpetologist to figure out what species the snake is.
"I'm not sure how long that process will take," Police Capt. Sean Lally said.
