A viral picture of the so-called “Serpens Catus” or snake cat, which is apparently found in the Amazon rainforest, is fascinating, but is the creature real?
After the zombie virus in Antarctica and the Gogo fish fossil with the world’s oldest heart ever caught users’ attention, people are now curious to know more about this strange cat after being stunned by how amazing it looks.
However, we can’t overlook the fact that the Internet isn’t new to unrealistic claims and rumors about mother nature, and this holds true in the case of the snake cat in the Amazon.
Picture of so-called Serpens catus or snake cat goes viral
TikTok and Twitter users are startled by an image of a creature that has been named Serpens Catus, also referred to as the snake cat.
A video that’s going viral on Twitter and TikTok features a cat with a yellow and black pattern on its coat, closely resembling a snake’s skin, where it derives its name from. It also has greenish-yellow eyes and a dark patch around the snout.
The captions claim that it is one of the “rarest species of feline on earth”, and is only found in the most difficult-to-access areas of the Amazon Forest.
It is believed to be native to South America, “specifically to countries such as Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Guyana, French Guyana, and Suriname.”
The viral posts also claim that the cat can weigh up to 8.8 pounds and stand about one-and-a-half feet tall.
However, there’s more to the image than meets eye.
Is the animal really found in the regions of the Amazon rainforest?
No, Serpens Catus, aka snake cat, isn’t real. The viral posts claim images of the snake cat first came to light in 2020, but there’s no scientific evidence to prove its existence.
Furthermore, there exists no other species of feline that remotely resembles the snake cat for one to be confused with. Therefore, it’s safe to say that the picture in the viral post is edited.
Although other Amazon rainforest cats are found throughout South American countries, snake cat isn’t one of them, simply because it is not real.
The post in question also alleges that some indigenous people of Amazon have “managed to domesticate” a few of these to “protect their homes from snakes, protect babies, and scare away rodents that steal their food”, but there is no proof or record of it happening in real.
TikTok users know it doesn’t exist
A number of TikTok users have called out the fake post for spreading misinformation. Some could tell the snake cat wasn’t real just by its graphic look.
One commented: “It is not difficult to find out this isn’t real if you have Internet. Google tells you if it is true or lie.”
“This is a lie. Snake cat doesn’t exist,” added another.
A third person wrote: “So much of Amazon is still not explored, but this beautiful animal can’t be real.”
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