Well some cheery SC news. A Gaboon Viper may be loose in Mt.Pleasant.

[Are_grits_groceries]

(Lindsey Graham or Jim DeMint could be shape-shifting. Seriously, this is not good. It has the right climate to live and grow. Some dumbass will probably get kilt messin' with it.)

It all started when the maintenance man at Harbor Point Apartments found a bizarre looking snake skin shed. Management then made a few calls and they were told it is the skin of a Gaboon Viper a very poisonous and very large snake native to Africa.

Taking a cautious approach management notified residents of the complex that has entrances off both McGrath Darby and Houston Northcutt Blvd. Residents were notified with a flyer posted on their doors and in common areas telling them that a Gaboon Viper may be lurking around the complex and to take proper precautions.

Farrah Reid who lives in the complex was first notified by her husband. She said it has forced her to think twice when walking her dogs.

“And I read it and I was like oh my god! I close bars and I get home like around 11 or 12-o’clock at night and I have to take them out.”

If it is a Gaboon Viper the snakes can grow up to 6ft long and are recognized by the very distinct rectangular patterns down it’s back. Management has the skin in the main office tacked up to spread it out. Residents are asked to call 843-819-9510 if the snake or any signs of it are spotted.
http://www.wspa.com/story/25164744/dangerous-gaboon-viper-possibly-loose-inside-mt-pleasant-complex

The gaboon viper is one of the most deadly and gorgeous snakes in all of Africa. It is generally found in central Africa, and favors the tropical rain forest floor. While the gaboon viper is generally docile, it has the equipment and the potential to kill a human with a single bite. The snake is heavy, weighing in at up to 18 pounds, and grows to a length of up to 7 feet. It has a very interesting pattern of splotches mixed with brown, black, tan, and white. This coloration allows the gaboon viper to blend in with its surroundings well. Here are 10 unusual facts about the gaboon viper.
1 - The gaboon viper has a head that looks much like a leaf. Camouflage is a very important weapon in the gaboon viper's arsenal and the head of this snake is one of the best examples. While its body is multicolored, the head is generally tan and in the shape of a triangle. It is a master of positioning itself perfectly still, and blending in with the ground and leaves around it. Prey sometimes will crawl right on top of the gaboon viper before realizing it's deadly mistake.

2 - Female gaboon vipers are viviparous. This means that the gaboon viper bears its babies alive, and they tend to have around 50 babies per pregnancy.

3 - The gaboon viper is armed with the longest fangs of any snake in the world. The fangs of the gaboon viper have been known to exceed two full inches. Keep in mind that this is per fang. Ouch!

4 - The gaboon viper is a sit and wait predator. As mentioned before, the gaboon viper is a master of camouflage and it uses this better than most snakes. The gaboon viper will sit along some known vermin trail and patiently wait for supper to come to it. Once it happens by, the snake will strike with ferocity.

5 - The gaboon viper does not let go after the bite. This is a fairly unusual method among venomous snakes. Usually, only the larger boas and pythons bite and hold on as they tend to wrap the prey. The gaboon viper however holds on until the prey is dead. This can be a problem when a human is bitten as the chance of heavy doses of venom being delivered is high.
<snip>
More:http://voices.yahoo.com/the-deadly-gaboon-viper-africa-10-unusual-facts-774185.html?cat=58

[Warpy]

1. That's a beautiful snake

but I wouldn't want it for a neighbor, either.

[Ex Lurker]

2. I hope it's not a female with fertilized eggs nt

[Tommy_Carcetti]

14. I smell SyFy movie! nt

[Aerows]

23. That was my first thought

Good Lord, can you imagine one having 50 little ones? They would take over.

[GoCubsGo]

28. They are actually livebearers.

But, still a disconcerting thought. So is the thought that the idiot who brought the thing here has other dangerous snakes that could get loose.

[Aerows]

34. Thanks grumpy cat avatar bearing person

You just made it sound about 2000x times worse I'm sort of kidding, but that shit could get out of hand fast!!!!

Ugh, bunches of poisonous snakes running around. Eww.

[nadinbrzezinski]

37. Oh that would never, ever, happen

thinks back to the idiot with a collection of one dangerous critter to the next. They all found a new home at the zoo.

[CFLDem]

3. Hope it's a male.

I would hate for these things to become more common here.

[newfie11]

4. Hope the find the idiot it belongs to as well as the snake

I will never understand why would someone import a snake so deadly. Obviously it wasn't contained well enough.

[liberal N proud]

5. Same here

[pinboy3niner]

6. Looks like it'll be Mt. UNpleasant until this snake is caught

[hobbit709]

7. Anyone that has a snake like that here should get bit by it.

and that snake is more honorable than Graham or DeMint.

[reddread]

16. talk about venom

I think you should get bit by it. Hows that sound? Just because some situation may have loosed a snake like that, doesnt mean your statement is anything short of bat guano nasty. Those are very special animals. I have no idea what the regs are for exotic hots in that state, but some states have allowed importation and wholesale dealing to legal buyers.
It takes a particular sort of caging and care, and for something like that to be loose requires a pretty unusual circumstance.
Whatever it was, whatever happens, you are way over the top in your ill wishing, and I suppose it could be attributed to some
bias or phobia, but regardless, blind hatred is blind hatred.
Maybe you should watch The Serpent and the Rainbow and have some nightmares about it.
They are LOOOOONG fangs...
bear in mind a number of possibilities-
the shed could have blown out of the trash from a careless keepers foolish disposal.
there are plenty of nasty natives that present much greater risk to anyone in the grassier areas Im sure.
the story is not that detailed, and the facts are obviously unknown.
dont wish ill on responsible keepers.
some folks in that hobby are sketchy as all get out,
but many deserve respect and appreciation for their love of animals others would just kill for no reason.

[hobbit709]

18. I don't have much sympathy for someone who keeps dangerous wild animals in an apartment.

Right up there with the fool in Florida some time back. Had about 2 dozen venomous snakes in cages in a trailer. He also had two small children. Luckily the black mamba bit him and not the kids.
I have no fear of snakes, some species I have a healthy respect for.
And if it got loose from a legitimate owner he should have notified the authorities.
I don't have any sympathy for the deliberately stupid.

[reddread]

20. "Anyone who has a snake like that here should get bit by it"

that would be a lot of zookeepers you would have injured there.

[hobbit709]

21. There's a lot of difference between a trained professional in a zoo

and someone who just does it for bragging rights in an apartment.
My niece is a trained professional zookeeper and she wouldn't dream of keeping something like that in her apartment.

[reddread]

22. "anyone" n/t

[MNBrewer]

8. Maybe brutally cold MN winters aren't so bad after all.

It keeps the Gaboon vipers out.

[GoCubsGo]

29. Naw. Just keeps them indoors, where it's warm. n/t

[Hoppy]

9. The apartment complex likely has rodents. The snake is somewhere in the walls of the complex,

digesting. It may be years before anyone finds it.

[pinboy3niner]

11. Maybe these snakes should have pingers installed. nt

[reddread]

17. they hang out on the ground, under detritus

hence the effectiveness of their very beautiful markings as camo.
really not the hardest snake to find if its large and in the area.
probably the easiest. I just wouldnt want to find one by accident.

[alcibiades_mystery]

10. Reminds me of this

Key and Peele skit HILARIOUS!

[Orrex]

12. I always thought that a Gaboon was an unholy primate hybrid

Always a bridesmaid...

[raccoon]

13. Gee, and I thought it was just Florida had to worry about such things!

God, between those creepy critters and the abundance of redness here, I may start thinking about locating to someplace cold and blue.

Even if I don't know a living soul there.

[LiberalEsto]

15. This viper reminds me of certain teabagger politicians

No offense to the snake.

[mnhtnbb]

19. We had a mail carrier find a boa snake skin shed outside in our neighborhood. Turns out

the snake belonged to a tenant in a house who just threw the skin outside. Snake was not loose in the area.

http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/06/17/537183/uh-wheres-the-rest-of-it.html

So, depending upon where the maintenance worker found that skin, could be there is a tenant who has
the snake.

[RebelOne]

32. Boas are not a problem. I had two pet boa constrictors.

They are totally harmless as long as they are fed regularly. When they both reached 7 feet long, I had to donate them to the Miami-Dade Community College hands-on lab for children. They were too big to eat rats and mice and no way was I going to feed them rabbits.

[hatrack]

24. Sure hope it doesn't bite Mark Sanford - poor snake!

It's got enough to worry about already.

[hootinholler]

25. Isn't that near Mayberry?

I can see Barney Fife chasing a snake.

[stage left]

31. I think you might be thinking of Mount Pilot.

Mount Pleasant is over the river and over the bridge from Charleston, SC.

[hootinholler]

38. You're right!

And I lived on Solomons when I was in the Navy and didn't recognize Mt Pleasant as *that* Mt Pleasant.



(Even though there is no Mayberry)

[frylock]

26. beautiful animal

[Aerows]

35. Gorgeous

and has a payload that will stick you in a grave quicker than a faulty ignition switch if you piss it off.

I do agree, though, it is lovely. Thankfully it is more docile than a faulty ignition switch. You can handle it (not recommended), but it doesn't blow up unless it is severely provoked.

[Historic NY]

27. "Snakes on the mut---f---ing Mt. Pleasant plain".

...

[lovemydog]

36. CNN should add this

to 'breaking' news.

'Snakes on the plane?! Snakes on the plain!'

[stage left]

30. Dear Gaboon Viper

You are too far east. Columbia is where you need to go. I know it's a long way from Mt. Pleasant, but you can make it. It's just the climate for you--lots of heat and lots of juicy politicians, such as Nikki Hayley and the lovely Mike Fair from Greenville, who insisted on bringing creationism bs in on the bill setting up the SC State fossil. If you find these politicians suitable as prey, I suggest just squeezing them to death if you can. I'd hate for you to get sick from ingesting their venom.

Your Friend,
Stage

[wheniwasincongress]

33. Maybe it will merge with starlings to create the most

damaging and invasive creature in America