Traps set after reports of giant snake on NJ's Lake Hopatcong

Tales of the giant snake brought the state Department of Environmental Protection to the fresh water lake in northern New Jersey - the state's largest at 4 square miles (10 square km) - but the mystery has only deepened, DEP spokesman Bob Considine said on Monday.

"One person says it's a boa constrictor, another says it's an anaconda," Considine said. "We don't have any confirmation of this snake at all."

While a pet owner with a permit is allowed to keep a boa constrictor in New Jersey, anacondas are prohibited, Considine said.Initial reports of the creature surfaced more than a week ago when a resident of the lake popular with motor boat enthusiasts and jet skiers said he saw the snake under a dock at his boathouse.

Local animal control has been asked to report "any legitimate" sightings of the snake - which so far have amounted to zero, Considine said.

(Reporting by Barbara Goldberg; editing by Andrew Hay)