African rock python

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Coroner: Owner Died After 'Show of Affection' From Pet Snake

Victim's mom kept all 10 of his snakes

(Newser) - Dan Brandon loved his 8-foot pet python Tiny and, fatally, the feeling was apparently mutual. Brandon, 31, was found dead in his home in Basingstoke, England, last August, and a coroner's inquest has concluded that he was asphyxiated by the African rock python, one of 10 snakes and a...

Buying a Python While Drunk Never a Good Idea

Brit gets 8 weeks in prison after ill-advised purchase

(Newser) - A UK man's party purchase almost killed his sleeping buddy. While Dwayne Matthews was drinking with friends, a van arrived whose driver was selling a stolen 10-foot-long python, his lawyer tells the Coventry Telegraph . "In his wisdom, and no doubt egged on by his inebriated friends," Matthews...

'Magic' World Cup Python Seized

Doc used snake in bid to sway games

(Newser) - South African animal welfare officials have confiscated a "magic" snake that was being used with an eye toward swaying the outcome of World Cup matches. The 9-foot rock python was found in poor condition at the home of a traditional doctor, who had been accepting payment from people seeking...

British Princes Become Snake Charmers

Harry gets the head; William, the end that's 'having a pee'

(Newser) - Prince William and Prince Harry made a friend at a nature reserve in Botswana today: an 8-foot African rock python. Invited to pose with the fearsome but nonvenomous reptile, the royals appeared hesitant at first, but Harry was soon threatening William with the snake's head, the Daily Mail reports. The...

S. Florida Fears New Everglades 'Super Snake'

Florida hunts for new species of python

(Newser) - A state-coordinated hunt for a new invasive python population is under way in the Everglades, amid fears that Southern Florida could soon be home to a new “super snake.” The 3-day hunt launched Tuesday has so far nabbed at least five African rock pythons, one of them 14...

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