Yikes

Thirty-two inches of freshly shed snakeskin trembling in the night breeze greeted me as I stepped out of the basement door last evening. This prize was not there when I came in from my days work three hours earlier. We commonly find shed snakeskins around our stone walls. One was neatly left in the irregular crack formed between two rows of cap stones at the top of a wall. This placement represents a novel solution to what must be a tricky task. Rather than wiggle out of the old skin, this snake appears to have used a gravity assist to slide right out. It is eighteen inches from the mouth opening to the ground. The slide to the ground was likely controled by some degree of grip on the old skin. It must have been quite a sight.

I have no problem with snakes that I can see. It is the unexpected that delivers quite a jolt. This skin is high above the ground uncomfortably close to my head. This time there was no audible gasp but it did instantly focus my attention. One question does come to mind. Who was holding this snake's tail?