Maine officials discovered a roughly 9-foot long snake skin in Westbrook on August 20 and they believe that the skin is that of an Anaconda.

Janine Roberts, the Westbrook Police Chief reported that a DNA test carried out on the skin confirmed that the DNA matches that of an Anaconda. The matter has caused concern for Westbrook residents due to the large size of the creature. Numerous locals also claim to have seen the skin. Authorities claim that the situation is somewhat unusual because the particular species is not native to Maine. It is therefore not clear why such a huge snake would make its way to the area. Residents have been left in worry since the snake is currently roaming freely and authorities do not currently know its whereabouts.

There was a different report in June where officers claim to have seen the snake eating a smaller animal believed to be a beaver. The few sightings have triggered a series of hunts especially along the river banks as hunters tried to catch the slithery trophy. Others have taken the chance to troll the matter on social media through a new twitter handle called “Wessie P. Thon.” The snake has definitely captured the attention of many locals.

Authorities initially thought that the snake was a python. The Westbrook Police department has received a lot of media interest on the matter. The PD has however reported that it is teaming up with snake specialists to track and catch the giant snake. The idea is to catch the snake so that it can be taken to a snake park or zoo.

The Westbrook snake story is one of a kind because anacondas are mostly found in South America mainly within the Amazon Jungles. The average length of an anaconda snake is 20 feet and their main foods include turtles, ducks, birds, fish, toads and frogs. Mark Latti, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife spokesman stated that it is legal to own an anaconda’s skin but it is illegal to own an anaconda as a pet.