The Zeitgeist commentary on the snake pictures has inspired many readers to spend in their comments. Nature abhors a vacuum and Zeitgeist readers abhor an unknown, apparently.

The Urban Legend Zeitgeist will lay out its tentative conclusions.

DISCLAIMER: The Urban Legend Zeitgeist is not a herpetologist, forensic pathologic or photo analysis expert. We strive to get our facts straight. If we don't, please let us know.

What kind of snake is it?

It is a reticulated python. So the accompanying stories that claim it occurred in South America or Africa are not true as are the claims that the snake is an anaconda or some other species.

The reticulated python has been reported to grow up to 32 feet long and occasionally dine on humans. So there is nothing inherently implausible about reticulated pythons killing and eating humans.

You're full of baloney, the bulge in the snake in the first two pictures doesn't look like a human body.

We agree, though that doesn't necessarily prove the third photo is a fake. The first two photos could be of a different snake. In any case, it is impossible to know what is in the belly of the snake in the first two pictures.

You're full of baloney, I could have created the third picture in Photoshop.

Digitally compositing photos usually leaves a telltale border around the images. Either the border is sharp and contrasting or it is blurred to obscure the pasted image. We can't detect any evidence of such manipulation around the body in the third photo.

You're full of baloney, the third photo is obviously staged.

If so, some care was taken to make it look authentic. The upper body is still encased in the snake. The lower legs show signs of lividity, damage to the skin and traces of blood. The arm folded behind the back appears to be broken and partially digested. Is it possible to fake these details? Yes, but why?

You're full of baloney, the body shows no signs of digestion or damage.

Look again at the lower legs and feet and the area just above the waistband of the shorts.

You're full of baloney, the body would have showed more signs of digestion.

Maybe, but the photos, if genuine, don't tell us how long the body was ingested. Also note that reticulated pythons are inactive after large meals. Again, assuming the photos are authentic, it is plausible that the snake would not have traveled far after consuming its unfortunate victim and so could have been easily found a short time after finishing its meal.

You should be able to identify the license plate of the truck and so know where the pictures were taken.

We tried and were unable to extract enough detail to identify the issuing country or even the license number. Even if we could, that would force us to assume that all three pictures are of the same snake, something that doesn't jibe with our gut instinct.

You should be able to establish a lower bound for the date of the pictures by determining the model year of the truck.

True, though again the 'one snake' assumption is required.

We're not automotive historians either, so if any Zeitgeist readers know the makes and model years of the pictured trucks, please let us know.

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