Massive boa constrictor feared to be roaming London after snake skin discovery
An enormous snakeskin was discovered on the River Thames, igniting fears that the reptile it belongs to could be roaming London.
Jason Sandy had been mudlarking – searching in river mud for valuable items – on the north bank of the river near Hammersmith Bridge when he found the five-foot-long shedded skin on Monday, August 8.
It is thought the skin might belong to a boa constrictor that had either been abandoned or escaped from its owner – igniting fears that the beast could be roaming the streets of London, the Mirror reports.
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Sandy shared the post to Instagram, captioning the post: “YIKES! Yesterday I spotted this large snake skin on the foreshore.
(Image: JasonSandy/BNPS)
“I couldn’t believe my eyes. A very large snake shed its skin, and it washed in with the tide.
“I did look behind my back to make sure the snake wasn’t lurking behind me.
“I hope this snake skin isn’t evidence of more snakes living along the Thames.”
He added it felt like he was mudlarking up the Amazon River and told one user who had commented on the post that the scaly skin “smelled really bad”, so he chose not to take it home with him.
(Image: Getty Images)
Boa constrictors are native to Central and South America – a very different habitat to the much cooler climates of London – and are non-venomous, instead wrapping their body around their victims and crushing them to death before swallowing them whole.
The largest boa constrictor ever reported was 18-foot-long, National Geographic reported, but they’re typically closer to 10 foot.
This species of snake has been known to kill humans, and as recently as July a man was killed by his pet boa constrictor after it strangled him.
Elliot Senseman, 27, died in hospital four days after the incident, and officers were forced to shoot the snake dead.
In the UK, reports of adder sightings have soared in this summer’s heatwaves, with vets even issuing a warning to pet owners over the venomous snakes, who have been known to attack dogs.
Vets4Pets Northallerton recently posted to Facebook: “Adders have been spotted in the area and some dog owners have unfortunately already witnessed first hand what damage these snake bites can do to a dog.”
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