TROY WOULD BE A TASTY MORSEL

Residents of Warren County, Missouri, finally know why small animals have been disappearing and dogs have been barking at odd times in the night. The likely culprit -- a monstrous 14-foot-7-inch Burmese Python weighing in at 160 pounds -- was found by local resident Pauline Horstdaniel in her yard, local station KTVI reports. Her dog's panicked barking at 2:30 a.m. on Tuesday tipped her off, she told the station. (For perspective, her dog is a Saint Bernard mix, a large breed not typically preyed upon by snakes that swallow animals whole.)