Boss Snakes: Stories and Sightings of Giant Snakes in North America

Chad Arment
ISBN 1-930585-44-6
Retail $19.95 (USD)

Are there Giant Snakes in North America?

"Two Miamians came in from the Everglades recently with a report they had seen a huge snake, at least 15 feet long, 10 inches in diameter, which looked like a log lying across the road. Experts believed it was a Gopher snake, but the discoverers temporarily called it 'Glade Snake.'" (1931)

Big snakes have been reported in Florida, and elsewhere, for over a century. Boss Snakes collects stories of giant snakes from across North America. Some are tall tales, newspaper hoaxes, pranks, misidentifications, exaggerations, or exotic introductions. Some suggest that historically, at least, some native species reached larger maximum lengths. A few might just point to something new, whether a population-level variation or even a new species. State-by-state accounts are given for giant "typical" snakes and for giant rattlesnakes.