With its delicate patterns, predatory attacks faster than fighter jets, and even the ability to "fly", snakes are a fascinating reptile. One feature of some of them worth paying attention to: their enormous size.
From pythons to reticulated pythons, we share the planet with some incredible serpentine heavyweights. These carnivores are found all over the world, including Southeast Asia, South America, and the United States. But how big is the largest snake in the world? What is the largest extinct snake in history?
10. Central African rock python (up to 16.5 feet)
A Central African rock python curled up, its head resting on its body
According to the Oregon Zoo, the Central African rock python is the largest snake in Africa. It is highly adaptable, found throughout sub-Saharan Africa, as well as in savannah, forest and desert habitats. The average length of these pythons is about 9.8 to 16.5 feet (3 to 5 meters).
Like the Burmese python, the Central African rock python can swallow large prey including antelope and crocodiles. Occasionally, even humans appear on the menu: there are several reports of African rock pythons attacking or even partially devouring humans. These snakes are able to swallow such large prey thanks to their highly flexible jaws, a trait they share with several other snakes.
9. King Cobra (18.7 feet)
Close-up of king cobra showing its fangs
The king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) has made a menacing image to display its open hood and fangs — and not just because its bite is strong enough to kill an elephant. According to the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Institute of Conservation Biology, the king cobra is native to Asia and can grow to more than 16 feet (5 meters). The longest king cobra ever recorded was a captive snake, reaching 18.7 feet (5.71 meters) at London Zoo in the late 2030s, roughly the length of a shipping container, according to Guinness World Records. It was killed at the outbreak of World War II to prevent it from escaping into the city when the zoo was bombed.
Vipers do not usually grow into giants. They can fix their prey in one bite, which means they usually don't need to rely on size or strength to feed. However, king cobras are the "exception to the rule," which makes them the longest venomous snakes on Earth.
8. Burmese python (18.8 feet)
A Burmese python with its mouth open on black background
The Burmese python is one of the 41 species of pythons in the world. Native to Southeast Asia, Burmese pythons initially lived in trees, but as adults, their size forced them to lie on the ground. According to Guinness World Records, the largest Burmese python ever recorded was a captive snake named Baby, 18.8 feet (5.74 meters) long. In the wild, these snakes are typically more than 16 feet (4.9 meters) long, enough to prey on alligators.
In 2022, the largest Burmese python ever seen, an invasive species, was found in Florida. It weighs 215 pounds (97.5 kg) and is 17.7 feet (5.4 m) long.
7. Cuban python (up to 19.6 feet)
A Cuban python rests its head on its body
According to the Lake District Safari Park, these iridescent scales are endemic to Cuba and are the largest snakes in the Caribbean. Cuban boars weigh more than 66 pounds (30 kg) and can reach a height of 18.5 feet (5.65 m), with some reports reporting that they can grow to more than 19.6 feet (6 m).
Cuban boars also stand out for their unique hunting methods: they are the only known snakes that hunt in groups. In 2017, researchers described these otherwise sociosocial animals strategically working together to form a barrier at the mouth of a cave in Cuba's national park, blocking the flight path of the bats. This allows the snake to jump up and grab the bat out of the air.
6. Indian python (up to 21 feet)
An albino Indian python wrapped around a man's hands and head
The huge size of the Indian python in the storybook is only partially exaggerated: according to ADW, these snakes can grow up to 20.9 feet (6.4 meters) long and weigh nearly 220 pounds (100 kilograms). This is about the weight of a newborn baby elephant.
Native to forests in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal, they are close relatives of Burmese pythons, which, like Burmese pythons, have a structure on their faces called "hot pits," which contain a sensitive membrane that detects infrared radiation emitted by warm animals up to 3.2 feet (1 meter) away, according to a 2010 study in the journal Nature. This adaptation helps guide the nocturnal sneaking reptile closer to its prey.
5. Reticulated python (32.8 feet)
A reticulated python wrapped around a tree branch in front of a black background
Another South Asian native snake, the reticulated python (Malaypython reticulatus), is widely regarded as the longest snake on Earth today. The reticulated python is decorated with a repeating diamond-shaped pattern, hence the name. A 1912 report said a captured python was 32.8 feet (10 meters) long, equivalent to the length of a typical school bus, although that number is difficult to verify.
According to the British Museum of Natural History, reticulated pythons are typically over 20.5 feet (6.25 meters) tall. According to Guinness World Records, the longest reticulated python in captivity is 25.2 feet (7.7 meters) long.
Its size, combined with its temperament, can occasionally be lethal to humans: In one incident in 2018, a woman in Indonesia was found wearing clothes in the belly of a bloated python. However, these creatures can also be gentle. San Diego Zoo says that, like other python species, female pythons carefully surround their eggs and rhythmically contract their muscles, generating heat that is passed on to their offspring, increasing their chances of survival against the cold.
4. Green anaconda (up to 33 feet)
Close-up of green python face
Green anaconda (Eunectes murinus) crawl quietly through swamps and streams in the Amazon, where they can reach up to 30 feet (9 meters) long.
Given historical records, they may not be as long as reticulated pythons. However, according to the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Institute for Conservation Biology, the green anaconda is the heaviest snake species on Earth today, with some snakes weighing up to 550 pounds (250 kilograms), the equivalent of a baby grand piano. Huge snakes use this huge size to shrink their prey, capybaras, caimans, and deer.
There is no official record of the largest green python, but in 2016, construction workers in Brazil encountered a snake estimated to be 33 feet (10 meters) long and weighing 880 pounds (399 kilograms).
Contrary to popular belief, contraction does not cause death through suffocation alone. Campbell said: "The pure muscles that their bodies wrap around their prey basically lead to heart attacks. Essentially, this stops the heart's rhythm and circulation. ”。“ This will immobilize the prey, which can then slowly swallow the entire prey – usually head down. ”
3. Galstini Giant Fish (up to 32 feet)
Eocene snake fossils embedded in rock
While modern snakes can reach incredible sizes, prehistoric snakes break most records today. For example, according to a blog post in PLOS, about 40 million years ago, a troll was a giant beast that crawled on a corpse that researchers estimated to be between 23 and 32 feet (7-10 meters) long.
Discovered in Egypt in 1901, the python was able to wrap its massive anatomy around its prey, like its early elephant ancestors — about the size of a tapir — and eat it all. The researchers found that the snake was linked to another extinct giant species, Madtsoia, whose fossils were found in India, suggesting that the serpent's reign of terror also spread across parts of Asia. For nearly 100 years after its discovery, the giant snake held the title of the largest snake the world has ever seen, until a larger specimen appeared in photographs.
2. Kolosas Ancient Fish (39 feet)
A sea serpent swims in clear blue waters with corals underneath
Giant snakes are not limited to land: there were also giant beasts in Earth's prehistoric seas, such as ancient predators. The sea serpent traveled through the ancient ocean that once covered parts of North Africa 100 million years ago. According to the study, published in the Polish Journal of Paleontology, when its fossilized skeleton was found in today's Sahara, researchers calculated that the species would have been more than 39 feet (12 meters) long, based on samples collected during subsequent field trips in 1999 and 2003. This makes it the longest sea snake ever discovered and one of the longest known.
The snake's head was never found, but judging by its skeleton, the researchers determined that the massive creature's mouth was large enough to eat an entire baby whale.
In contrast, its descendants are smaller. Today, sea snakes rarely reach more than 6.5 feet (2 meters).
1. Titanosaurus (42.7 feet)
Artist impression of the largest snake ever seen on Earth, the Titan Dragon
A snake the size of a Tyrannosaurus rex weighing 1.25 tons (1.13 metric tons) is not a fictional monster made for horror movies, but a real creature that once crawled through the wet forests and rivers of South America. Titanosaurus is the largest known snake to date.
The snake dates back 60 million years and is the prehistoric ancestor of modern pythons and wild boars in the region. It has about 250 vertebrae, forming a huge frame 42.7 feet long (13 meters) that feeds on crocodiles and river fish. Indiana University estimates that it weighs up to 2,500 pounds (1,130 kilograms).