I grew up on a farm in eastern Nebraska. When I was in high school biology class my teacher said I was telling a lie when I said that we had rattlesnakes in our area. He tried to make a fool of me in front of the class. By pure coincidence while fixing pasture fence that weekend I saw a skinny, weak rattlesnake who must have just come out of hibernation. He was an easy catch and my biology teacher was a little embarrassed when I took it to school that Monday. Yes, I took a rattlesnake to school. The 70's were a little different.

That snake is so big, it doesn’t have a rattle - it has its own percussion section!

Actually, ya'll, I never said that my husband and I thought it was 9 feet long, the reporters got that from who knows where. What we were amazed at was it's WIDTH even more than its length. It was just one fat (and long) snake. Couldn't get video AND photos because as quickly as it was moving from tall grass across the road and into more tall grass I had a choice of pix or a video and with my little camera video takes a minute to come up - 3 pix was all I could manage. So, there you have it from the photographer - me.

Maybe you could SEE the rattlesnake IF the news station didn't have their banner taking up the entire bottom of the SCREEN????

In 2005 the video is titled “couple sees 9-foot rattlesnake”… in 2021 “woman fat shames plus-size snake..” 😂😂😂

That big rattlesnake is a good hunter and is feeding well.

couple: *taking pictures* rattlesnake: “don’t mind me , i’m just passing through .”

I'll never forget an old photo I saw in an old "general store" years ago on a trip through Ga.A very tall man holding an obvious rattlesnake across his shoulders (you could see the diamond markings and rattles) that reached the ground on both sides of him!! You could tell from his "build" that he was a tall man (thin,lanky long legs) This was many years before camera phones etc... maybe around 1974 so no photo shop etc... Snake had to be at least 10-11 ft. ! I've never forgotten the picture and I'm 70 years old now, was only 19-20 years old when I saw it

The critter looks as if he's just swallowed an escaped python from the Everglades.

Wow! I thought it was a gator’s tail at first. I’ve see rattle snakes like that in area as a child. Scary.

My husband used to work at the Kennedy Space Center and he saw rattlesnakes that size several times. They do get massive in Florida!!

This guy has the perfect new casting voice and accent lol

Why did the rattlesnake cross the road? To get the chicken.

9 foot, 6 foot or 3 foot, either way if you get bitten by him, you've just had a bad day for sure.

The one thing I like about rattlesnakes is the fact that they're very courteous.

Thanks WFLA... just make up the length (based on what Cathy says below) as you go to get more eyes on you. As someone who spent 20+ years in journalism, if I had made up stuff like that I would have been fired for misleading the public.

Rattlers are lazy and not really interested in people. Don't screw with it and they won't bite you.

No 9 ft rattlesnakes on record. Largest rattlesnake on record is 7"9. Those things are thick and among the heaviest venomous snakes.

They have some big eastern diamond backs in Washington d c.They are mostly found at 1700 Pennsylvania ave and at the. Capital.sometimes you see them being driven around but mostly they are crawling like their western cousins.stay safe people

Thanks for clearing things up in the comments section. This coming from the proverbial "horse's mouth" made it even more transparent of how the events as well as the size transpired.

When i was 17 and living nahunta Ga one of my entertainments was catching wild snakes and one day while driving down a naturally used dirt road a Diamondback around that same size was leisurely strolling across it. My mother was in the cab with me as i slammed on the brakes and got out to retain the snake. She was upside down inside the truck screamings but she also can testify to a rattle snake this large for they do exist and are quite common just too damn smart to get caught most of the times. I enjoyed the rareness of the catch and kindly let the snake on his way.

Very nice. I live in Polk and have seen some big diamondbacks, but not that big. That's huge. Good job!!!

Grew up in the woods of Florida. I saw one once that was stretched across the WHOLE dirt road. I wish I had a camera, because it had to be 15 ft. Wish I could prove it...

It looked like it didn’t need to eat for several more months lmaooo

The biggest rattlesnake ever caught and measured was caught by Jim McAllister in Fernandina Beach Fl. It was 7 feet 11 inches. For years Ross Allen at the Silver Springs reptile exhibit offered a $500 bounty for anyone producing a snake of 8 feet, it was never paid out. The Eastern Diamond back is such a striking snake people tend to magnify it’s length but it is the overall birth of the snake that makes it seem so big.

You folks were very lucky to see a rattlesnake THAT big! They get that way by staying away from people……

In 1992 I saw a rattlesnake that had to be close to 10 feet long it was crossing a forest service road about 8ft wide, and it's head was off the road about a foot and it's tail about a foot off the road on the other side

The reporter was looking down while he was talking- tryin to look out for that snake, I guess 👀 🐍

Back when Disney World was being built out of that swamp in the 1960s , there's alot stories there about huge rattle snakes , gators and moccasins the size of logs .

In a gift shop at Calico ghost town, in Barstow, California there’s a picture of a guy from early 1900’s holding a dead 10 footer.

*_I live here in the valley of Northern California where we got a lot rattlesnakes & I’ve never seen one this big!! That is crazy.._* 😲

I've seen them that size in eastern Montana, but where I live in Wyoming there are no poisonous snakes. Not sure why. Maybe it's the 6800 ft. elevation or the extreme cold in the winter. Whatever, I'm glad they're not here. There are rattlers in southern and eastern Wyoming however.

100 years ago that was common

They have lived for a long time to get that big. I have seen them in New Mexico and some kids I grew up with caught one bigger than that. It's skin was on display for many years in a trading post. His fangs were as big as a little finger.

The Eastern Diamondback is the largest species of rattlesnake in the U.S. A University of Georgia website states that the longest specimen on record is 96 inches (8 feet). I think it is very unlikely that the one that Lloyd & Cathy Terry saw would be substantially longer than the 96 inch specimen on record. I’ve read their comment that they never said they thought the one they saw was 9 feet long.

Imagine what they had in those areas about 200 years ago before humans. I bet they sad some serious monsters.

That is beyond snake. That is a Grandmother Serpent.

Estimated 9'. That meens the snake was actually 6-7' TL. Im going with 6' being very familiar with human exageration guesstimating snakes lengths.

My family's originally from the Nichols area. In the late 1930s my granny shot a rattler in the barn. They had a Model A truck and tied the snake's head to the front bumper passenger side and wrapped him around the truck tying his tail to the rear bumper driver side. They drove to town where the town doctor cut the head off, put it in a jar of formaldehyde and displayed it in his waiting room, jaws propped open! I have family photos of similar size rattlers killed in the area in the '60s.

That reporter looks like he wants to rap in plain session with those head moves lol

Nature's pest control! Very efficient and does not poison the environment! I have come across many rattlers and they are not aggressive at all. When they see you, they usually go the opposite direction and try to get out of sight.

It's all fun and games til you run across one.

I saw one , here in MS , that was 8 ft +. He was also crossing the road.

Here in Tucson, Arizona Dbacks are normal size avg. 6" to 9+ " You can see it at THE LOOP BIKE PATH all days of summer, differents sizes.

I was in Alabama and 1 guy I met when I was 16, (I'm 44 now). Had a skinned rattler that he kill in his parking lot by his business. This snake skin was more than 10 ft about 13 to be accurate. He rolled it out on the floor and my eyes were wide open. To see a dangerous snake this size ! OMG! What would happen if this snake gotten a hold of someone?

There is this troll among us here in this thread I don’t think I need to say who as most everyone has been reading his argumentative comments, insulting people etc. Anyway to clarify, 9ft rattle snakes are hard to believe I get that. Doesn’t mean that they don’t exist in the right circumstances. When I referenced the snake I saw it was over 30 years ago prior to cell phones with cameras or I can assure you I would have taken a picture. But it was a sight I will never forget. I lived in a small town west of Lake City Florida called Olustee. It is located in the middle of the Osceola Forest. 6ft rattlers are the norm there. Yes we did eat rattle snake and alligator. Anyway, insults and name calling is not necessary. These posts are meant to enjoy, comment if you want without fear of someone weeks later still out there being a troll. To everyone else who has commented I would apologize but then I thought that I don’t need to apologize for sharing an experience I had many years ago. Why would I want to make up something like that. I have no interest in snakes and I am glad I no longer live there. To this day if I am walking in the grass I am always looking down. That is what I was taught to do from an early age especially after a hurricane or bad rain storms. I live where it is too cold to worry about snakes too much any more.

At the end, it would have been hilarious if the giant rattlesnake poked his head out of the grass and said, "So, you're calling me fat, lady?"

I think that snake has been more in quarantine then all of us! Lol

That snake looks like it just ate! Love it!

I am glad to see that there are still a few big ones left alive. If you think rattlers are bad news, wait until the state is overrun with squirrels, rats, mice, nutria and anything else that rattlers help control. You might like them better.

I've know snake handlers struck by large Eastern Diamondbacks in Florida. Snake boots blocked the fangs, but they got big bruises from the impact.

I thought there would be a good picture, I've never seen a rattlesnake that big 6 feet is huge. I sure would have liked to see it

That looks like one that my mom ran over when I was kid. It stretched from one side of the road to the other. It felt like we ran over a speed bump.

What a gorgeous giant

No, I wanna know why is the banner across the picture of the snake .........

I used to always run into huge rattlesnakes in Babson park and Frostproof growing up.

Very handsome fella, just hanging out and doing what all good rattlesnakes do, scare the shit out of people.

Eastern Diamondbacks can grow well beyond 6 feet in length. So long as the snake remains healthy and has both a good water supply and an abundance of food sources, it's growth rate can easily be over 6 feet. Eastern Diamondbacks are very reclusive creatures. Hunting by night and warming up during the day, they're very hard too spot, except by those that know how and where to look for them. As for its girth, it's likely this particular specimen just ate. Personally, I prefer the Western Diamondback myself. We have many out here on my ranch. They're beautiful to watch as they go about their business. 🐍KB

They're really lucky their favorite meal is birdwatchers

Though I live in Australia, I have read about North America's Rattlesnakes over the years. From what I understand, the Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake is the largest venomous snake in the USA. Furthermore, it's widely known the King Cobra of both Asia and Africa is the longest, venomous snake on Earth. The King Cobra is known to reach up to 5 metres (15 feet) long. Here in Australia, our second most venomous snake, and indeed on Earth, the Coastal Taipan, reaches up to 3.5 metres (11 feet) long, and whilst shy, preferring to avoid people, is highly aggressive, and will bite multiple times until left alone, a trait it shares with the King Brown, and other Brown Snakes. The Coastal Taipan snake is reputed to bite up to 14 times, but, like all snakes, will only do so if annoyed or threatened, its venom is powerful enough to see one bite kill up to 25 fully grown men. Our most dangerous snake, which is also the world's deadliest venomous snake, is the Inland Taipan, found around the desert areas of Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia and Northern Territory, reaches up to 2 metres (6 ft 6 ins), is also highly aggressive, and it has a single bite reputed to be venomous enough to kill 100 fully grown men. Another long snake species, which is on a list below, is the King Brown. This snake, which occurs across large parts of Australia, is known to grow to 2.5 (7 feet) to 3 metres (9 feet), has a hiss that has to be heard to be believed. As with all "King" type species, the King Brown does eat other snakes, venomous and non - venomous alike. A second list will show the known longest species. So, I'm not surprised that the American couple in the video encountered a 3 metre (9 feet) long Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake, for as I said, this is America's largest venomous snake, and specimens that long are probably more common than many would think. This is simply the first time such a long snake has been located, and photographed. Here is a list of the Top Ten deadliest venomous snakes on Earth: 1: Inland Taipan (Aust) 2: Coastal Taipan (Aust) 3: King Brown (Aust) 4: Eastern Brown (Aust) & Black Mamba (Africa) 5: Mainland Tiger (Aust) 6: King Cobra (Africa & Asia) 7: Kraits (SE Asia) 8: Death Adder (Aust) 9: Copperhead (Aust) 10: Eastern Diamondback (USA) Known longest Venomous Snakes: 1: King Cobra (Africa & Asia) to 5 metres (15 feet) 2: Coastal Taipan (Aust) to 3.5 metres (11 feet) 3: King Brown (Aust) to 3 metres (9 feet) 4: Black Mamba (Africa) to 3 metres (9 feet) 5: Eastern Diamondback (USA) to 3 metres (9 feet) 6: Ferdelance (South America) to 2.5 metres (7 feet) 7: (2 different species) Bass Strait Tiger & Copperhead (Aust) to 2.5 metres (7 feet) 8: Western Diamondback (USA) to 2 metres (6 ft 6 ins) 9: African Cobra (Africa) to 2 metres (6 ft 6 ins) 10: Boomslang (Africa) to 2 metres (6 ft 6 ins) The key difference is that with the exception of the Timber Rattlesnake, which is known to be easily annoyed and aggressive, most species of Rattlesnakes actually have milder temperaments, and are known to be reluctant to bite humans, only doing so if feeling threatened and therefore annoyed.

A bite from one that large could kill you in short order without immediate medical care.

I encountered a Cottonmouth 2 summers in a row about 10 miles north of Kansas City , Mo. In the late 1980s which was about that same size, crossing a road. The 'experts ' say they don't exist around this area. Right!

What a beautiful creature! Awesomeness!

It just wants to Snake, Rattle and Roll! LMAO

All of the nopes......

a beautiful creature, please don't hurt it

I’ve lived in North Ga my whole life and I’m a outdoors type person. I just found a huge timber rattler in my yard for the first time yesterday.

I grew up in eastern Kentucky so have seen lot of rattlers , never seen one that long , they were most dangerous in spring and fall when the weather was cooler they would try to get inside the house , couple times they made it both times they were around the fireplace , one got up on the mantle and stretched out , my uncle seen it when he went to set the clock .

0:59 it looks like a damned aligator

Dang it he would definitely make a lot of boots and belts.

While they may not reach 9 feet long, they are the world's rattlesnake species. Their numbers are dropping because their habitats are being destroyed right and left by land developers that use their habitats to building infrastructure.

I'm happy you saw it and left it alone

Eastern diamond backs can easily reach 8 feet.

Definitely a very hearty Eastern Diamondback but doubtful that it was 9 foot. Still, what a big beautiful snake!

I seen one bigger by two feet in McClay canyon by Sylmar CA. It was run over by a car and it stuck out by at least a foot or more on both sides of the tires. I also seen an eleven foot bullsnake in my barn. It was hunting mice...probly hors d'eaurves.

That rattleler just had a good meal, and I have seen 9 footers, not that often but I've seen em

Imagine the amount of venom that sucker had. Probably enough to kill a football team!

Should of caught it because it shattered the largest diamond back on record by over 1 1/2 feet. I think they guessed the size and missed by a few feet lol.

Monsters like this really do exist. Six foot Diamondbacks are fairly common even today, so you know there's got to be bigger ones. You just don't see them, because let's face it, they didn't that big by being stupid. Awesome reptiles

I heard that at one time someone had a large reward around $100,000.00 for the capture of a large rattlesnake over 8 feet long. It was never claimed.

9ft is just an obscene length for an eastern diamondback. With that perspective it's hard to say if He's that big or not. He's still got a huge body though and at least 6 to 7 ft long. I say he because males are usually larger in rattlesnakes than females are. I'm guessing he's a big old granddaddy...

It was an Eastern Diamondback mixed with Burmese Python. Very rare snake.

I got a pic of one on trail camera in SC that was about six feet long and a little over half the size of that one

i was driving in pooler ga and saw a rattlesnake crossing the road this thing literally took up almost 1 whole lane width wise as it moved across the road

So where are her great photos

On an average year 7k people in the U.S are bitten by venomous snakes and average 5 deaths a year. Far more people die from fire ant stings then rattlesnakes. Far more people die a year from simply tripping and falling down. I live with them around my house, I train my hunting dogs on snake avoidance and managed no incidents in 47 years...

I saw a diamondback rattlesnake in Florida on Tosahatchee trail a few years back. It came out of the bush and onto the gravel road. My friend said it came out to get warm. Anyway, we estimate that it was about 5 ft. There was another car with two other people in it who got out and agreed with us about the length. I do not exaggerate. I can tell you that the snake was at least four and a half feet long, but probably closer to five feet.

On MacDill AFB. I watched a massive Diamond Back Rattlesnake cross a road. The tail was inthe middle of both lanes and the head was a couple feet into the shoulder of the road!! Awesome animals!!!

Does look big but 9 ft???? Nothing else in picture to reference size.

*King Cobra:* Ha, I get twice that length!

I live on a ranch in south Texas. We have those now and again. Scary!

He in the middle of the road like I am not trying to be here ha ha

We don't call them big until they hit 7 feet. I have seen a dead one that taped just over 8 feet.

If I saw that I would move five states away! You're all invited to move up north here to Wisconsin where we don't have that crap LOL

The world's fattest rattlesnake is actually in my trousers.

Rattlesnakes can get rather huge. An old friend's stepdad who used to go motorcycling up in the hills said if you ever got a bit by one of the huge ones, look to the east because that's the last time you'll ever get to see the city again.

Move the banner!!!!!

Thats an amazing predator

Raised on a farm in south Georgia it was common to come across eastern diamondbacks , when i was 13 i came across one like that and it scared me , he was huge , i kept my distance on this one and just watched him disappear under a old falling down house.

UPDATE- the snake is comfortable living life out as my boots.