Presumpscot River: Giant Snake Skin Found Near Maine River
Police are trying to determine the type of snake.
The snake skin was found near Riverbank Park at around 3 p.m., Police Chief Janine Roberts said.
Police are trying to determine the type of snake.
“Until the type of snake is determined and we can assess the safety risk, we caution people who recreate along the Presumpscot River to remain alert, maintain a safe distance from any wildlife, and report any sightings of the snake to the Westbrook Police Department,” authorities said in a statement.
Derek Yorks, a wildlife biologist with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, said the snake was probably a Burmese python, which is native to Asia but has been breeding in the Florida Everglades.
Yorks said he’s certain the snake is not native to Maine.
“None of ours are big enough to prey on something even as big as a squirrel,” he said. Maine’s biggest native snakes, he said, include water snakes, which grow to about 4 feet, and the endangered black racer, which can grow up to 5 feet long.
A python, he said, would by unlikely to survive a Maine winter.
According to the Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage, snakes can shed their skin at various times throughout the year. As the months become warmer in the spring and summer months, snakes become more active and it is then that they are more likely to be encountered by people.