This image appeared over at the blog of John Downes, Still on the Track, purported to show an enormous rattlesnake captured recently in Florida. In fact, the individual who supplied Downes with the photos (identified only as “Paula”), reports that this is the largest Eastern Diamondback ever caught on record.

Along with the photos sent to Downes (which can be viewed at his blog), Paula provides the following information:

1) One bite from a snake this large contains enough venom to kill over 40 full grown men.
2) The head alone is larger than the hand of a normal sized man.
3) This snake was probably alive when George H. W. Bush was President.
4) A bite from those fangs would equal being penetrated by two 1/4 inch screwdrivers.
5) A snake this size could easily swallow a 2 year-old child.
6) A snake this size has an approximately 5 and 1/2 foot accurate striking distance.
7) Judging by the size of the snake, it is estimated to weigh over 170 pounds. How much do you weigh?

Having been raised with a lot of outdoor activities growing up, over time I’ve learned to respect all wild animals I’ve encountered in the forests, which range from bobcats and black bears to this fellow’s close (and much smaller) cousins seen in the Appalachian Mountains. Rest assured, I wouldn’t be looking forward to hiking as much if I thought there were a lot of snakes out there that were this size!

Editor’s Note: Downes notes that this image has not been verified by photographic experts as of posting this, and several viewers have commented that it may be a hoax using forced perspective. However, based on the photos, it does appear to show an extremely large snake, regardless of the measurements provided with the photos.