Sikeston received a slight reptile scare last week.  Police had a report of a large snake seen on the north end of town.  A resident in the Greenbrier and Meadowbrook area photographed the creature as it navigated a tree and described it as being 7 to 9 feet long.  Sikeston Department of Public Safety Lieutenant Jim McMillen tells KZIM-KSIM unfortunately the story got exaggerated after the initial report. McMillen took the photos to the Cape Conservation Center where naturalist Jennifer Weaver confirmed it to be a Black Rat Snake.  They are common in Missouri and are non-venomous who feed mainly on rodents and small birds.  She assured they are mostly harmless and present no immediate danger to the community.  McMillen adds there have been no sighting of snakes since that incident.