Cryptid Snakes/Snake-like Animals
The famous "Congo Giant Snake Photograph". It has never ben debunked and is more likely than not authentic
This section contains snakes, or snake-like reptiles, which are not recognised by science. Thus, true snakes, possible offshoots of the snake line, and legless lizards or other legless reptiles are included. However, sea serpents will not be included here, but will have their own section instead.
Giant unidentified snakes (All over he US NA): Giant snakes of undetirmined species have been sighted sporadically all over the US. Possibly introductions or escapees, or maybe relict species. There is also the possibility that they are merely giant individuals of known species.
Giant rattlesnakes (The Southern States NA): Giant rattlesnakes, usually diamondbacks, have been seen in various areas of the south, many of them being part of a long standing local legend. The biggest recorded length for diamondbacks is 10 feet; these snakes have occasionally been seen to reach 20. My bet is that they're just abnromally large individuals, although a seperate sub-species or race could be involved.
Snow snake (Eastern North America NA): A creature from native legend, this is supposedly a very poisonous snake with pure white skin. It is alleged to spend much of it's time in hiding, biting anyhting that goes near it. The White settlers to the region also believed in it's existence. If it exists, this would probably be a pit viper of some kind, as pit vipers can live in lattitudes that other snakes would die in.
Hoop snake (Eastern North America NA): Another piece of local legend, the hoop snake is alleged to stifen it's body up, curve into a hoop shape, and roll down a hill when it needs to escape. I highly doubt the existence of this snake, but if it does exist it is probably a colubrid of some kind.
Pichu-Cuate (New Mexico, Arizona and Mexico NA): Most probably extinct, Charles Fletcher Lumis mentions this snake in his book "The King of the Broncos". He claims it is the only true viper in America and is very small, being he width and length of a typical pencil and having a head smaller than a mans thumbnail. Yet he claims it to be the most fearless, ferocious, and venomous snake in North America. He says it is lead grey on top, rosy red on the bottom, with a distinctly triangular head and tiny horns. The natives of the area, who worship rattlesnakes and have no fear of them, are deathly afraid of the pichu-cuate. They all agree, however, that it is extrememly rare. All this was written nearly 100 years ago, and this little snake may very well be extinct now.
Giant anaconda (Amazon Basin SA): Very large boid snakes, presumed to be anacondas, are alleged to dwell in the Amazon. While normal anacondas reach about 30 feet, usually much less than that, the giant anaconda is said to grow upwards to 130 feet. Such dimensions seem impossible for freak members of the common anaconda species, but why not a seperate, much larger species? Personally, I don't think these exist, but if they do they would probably represent a new species.
Crowing Crested Cobra (Carribean Islands and much of Africa): A personal favourite of mine, the corwing crested cobra is allegedly a large snake which can spray it's venom and makes a sound like a crowing rooster. They are said to be rather large, both long and very big around, and to have a frill like a cobras, plus a crest on their head and wattle-like skin on the throat. The interesting thing with CCC's is that they seem very similar to the basilisk of Greek legned, and the biblical cockatice. Both of those mythological creatures were supposdly snakes raiused by chickens, thus being part rooster, and were said to kill anything that looked at them. Perhaps, that "instant death" quality was an exaggeration of the CCC's venom-spraying ability.
Das-adder (Drakensberg Mountains in South Africa AFRICA): An adder which remains unrecognised by western science. Any other information is much welcome.
Giant Congo snake (Congo Rainforest AFRICA): A giant, brownish-green snake was photographed by a Belgian helicopter pilot in 1959. The photo (at top of page) has been extensivly analysed and the results are always the same; it shows a snake somewhere between 40 and 50 feet in length. If so, this would be the biggest snake on earth (save for the giant anaconda that is).
Pumina (Zaire AFRICA): Giant snakes that are well known to the natives. The giant Congolese snake in the photo may be a pumina.
North African giant snakes (Morocco and Tunisia AFRICA): There are supposed to be no pythons in North Africa, yet people often see giant snakes that can only be identified as pythons. Most likely, before the Saharah dried up and desertified, there were pythons all throughout Africa, but they died off until only a few scattered populations were left in oasises.
N'guma-monene (Congo Repuplic and other countries in the Congo AFRICA): N'guma-monene is described as a large, snake-like animal that is not a snake. In modern times it has been likened o a dinosaur without any legs. If it exists, I doubt it is a true snake, more along the lines of a legless crocodile or mayhaps a descendent of some ancient reptile group which has lost it's legs over the ages.
Winged serpents (Namibia in Africa; Wales, Bulgaria and France in Europe): Snakes with rows of small wings along their sides have been seen in various old world countries. To me there are three possibilities. One is that the people who saw these were hallucinating or making it up. Two is that there really is some kind of snake which somehow has wings, perhaps developed from modified ribs. Three is that these "serpents" are not really snakes at all, but are in fact on of the many kinds of "rods". Rods will be dealt with under a seperate section.
Large European snakes (Mediterraean provinces of Southern European countries): Large snakes have been seen in Mediterranean areas of Europe which were 9 feet in length or more. The largest European snake is the green whip snake, which reaches 6 feet in length. My guess is that these are remnant populations of pythons. At one time, before the Sahara became such a huge desert, pythons and many other animals ranged right through Africa, up into the northernmost parts of it. At that time the Mediterranean was shallower and many parts of Europe and Africa were connected and their fauna were continuous. Since these pythons have also been sighted in North Africa, there is some credence lent to this theory.
Beithir (Scottland EUROPE): A large, serpentine monster from Scottish mythology, there have been several recent sightings of the biethir. It is said to have a head about two feet long, bulky and with what appear to be pointed "ears" (probably horns). It has a body which appears all humped, like a caterpillars, when it moves, and it seems to drag it's belly along with difficulty. They are said to be about 20 feet long. If it exists, it may be some kind of strange primitive snake.
Danish snakes (Denmark EUROPE): There were three cases in Denmark where large serpentne creatures were seen which attacked or other wise acted agressive towards humans. Two of the creatures were probably just eels, but one of them was a yellowish brown snake, 6 feet long, swimming in the Geduna River. It attacked someone. I have opinion on these occurances at this time, and I really have no clue as to what it could've been.
Tatzelwurm (Austrian and Swiss Alps EUROPE): This is almost always considered a "snake", so I shoved it in here because this is where people would look for it. The tatzelwurm is actually said to be a very large lizard-like animal with a thick stubby tail, sharp teeth, and a preference for coming out in the Alpine spring. Many researchers have shown the parallel between the tatzelwurm and the giant salamanders of Japan, China, and Hong Kong. I, however, agree with Heuvelmans that it is quite likely a representitive of the Heloderma (Gila monsters). This idea is not only based on the almost identical appearences of Gila's and tatzelwurms, but the fact that the tatzelwurm is reputed to be quite venomous. The two known species of heloderm are the only venomous lizards in the world. You do the math.
Spanish "tatzelwurm" (Spanish and Italian mountains EUROPE): An animal very similar to the Alpine tatzelwurm, posibly the same species. As with the true tatzelwurm, if it exists it would be Europes largest reptile.
Tzuchinoko (Japan ASIA): The biggest misconception about this cryptid is that people often say it is definitely a pit viper. The descriptions from japanese literature do NOT portray a very snake-like animal when they speak of a tzuchinoko; if anything, it seems more like a large skink f some kind. The biggest giveaway is its pair of front limbs. A similar animal is said to live in Korea.
Cryptophidion annamense (Vietnam ASIA): A completely unknown snake that is known only from a photo and from reports. The photo was good enough for the animal to be scientifically described, hence the scientific name, but it still is not offically considered to exist, unless a specimen is captured.
Giant pythons (India, Bangladesh and Thailand ASIA): Unusually large pythons have been reported from these areas. The worlds longest known snake, the reticulated python, is from the Indonesian Islands, but also lives on the Maylay penninsula. It is only about 10 feet shorter than these reported giants. Mayhaps these giant pythons are a large race of reticulated pythons which live on the Asian mainland.
Giant Russian snakes (Far Eastern provinces of Russia bordering china ASIA): Giant snakes that have been seen in these areas of Russia, bordering China. I wonder how such large snakes can survive here, considering these areas get extrememly cold in the winter. Any extra information is welcome.
Parker's snake (Papua New Guinea INDONESIA): A venomous snake, about 6 or so feet long, which according to Parker killed 3 children in his visit to PNG. The natives say it is a rare, aquatic snake with smooth scales, large ventral scales, and a short tail. It is said to prefer small freshwater swamps and inland streams, sometimes being found in marshland or rivers. It's identity has yet to be detirmined.
Undescribed Dendrelaphis species (Western provinces of PNG INDONESIA): An undescribed species of the Dendrelaphis genus has been seen in Papua New Guinea. Porbably just an unescribed species.
