How big is the world's largest snake? A large number of data show that the largest snake has 3 cars connected end to end, the manhole cover is so thick, this snake has a name that is not equal to its size called "Osmanthus Flower", but is it really that big? Is there a huge python beast hidden in some corner of the world? Here's a definite answer.
< h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > osmanthus flowers really that big? </h1>
Osmanthus is a reticulated python, body length of 14.85 meters, the thickest part of the body diameter of 0.85 meters, weight 447 kilograms, such a body can easily swallow a person, according to the zoo osmanthus a meal needs at least 5 dogs. Osmanthus flowers were found in the primeval rainforest of Sumatra Island, Indonesia, it is said that the osmanthus flowers were found longer, reaching 19 meters, but because some of the food in the body was not digested, it deteriorated after a long period of time, breeding a large number of rotten bacteria, in order to save life " amputated", became today's 14.85 meters.
Osmanthus data has been reported in a large number of official media. However, there are also many sources that indicate that osmanthus is just a gimmick for locals to visit. The cages in the zoo are small, so it is not easy to judge the actual size of the osmanthus flowers when coiled or bent for a long time.
Originally, the world's largest record will always be maintained, but in 2004, I don't know what kind of wind the "headmaster" at the time smoked, and actually put people in cages, who knew that this boy took out a tape measure from his ass pocket. Although osmanthus is not very obedient, it still measured the approximate size, between 6.5 and 7 meters. Zoo keepers explain that Osmanthus has not had a good appetite lately and is hungry (can meat be reduced, bones can be shrunk?). ）。
Of course, these materials also originate from the Internet, if you do not talk about osmanthus flowers, do not look at those so-called Guinness Records, how big are the snakes in the world?
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > the size of the snake depends on the climate</h1>
Snakes are lifelong animals, which means that as long as they are alive, they will always grow, so many people think that there may be some "longevity" snakes that exist in deep mountains and wild forests, and they can be very long.
This is actually a misconception about snakes, according to which any snake can grow long as it lives long enough. So why are the larger snakes so long contracted by reticulated pythons, Amazon forest hoppers, African rock pythons, Burmese pythons, these snakes? It is reasonable to say that any snake can grow to a very large size, but are other snakes not good and do not live long?
There's nothing wrong with lifelong growth, but different snakes have their own limits for growth. Most pythons have a lifespan of about 25 to 30 years, when they reach the growth limit, the growth rate will become very slow, such as high-speed growth, a year can grow 10 to 20 cm, and after reaching the limit, the annual increase is not even 1 cm. How fast it grows depends mainly on the environment.
Most of the larger pythons and borers live in rainforests near the equator. The snake is a temperate animal, commonly known as a cold-blooded animal. Tropical rainforest climate, high temperature and rainy all year round. The high temperature means that the body temperature of the snake will rise with the ambient temperature, which is equivalent to the energy they can get from the environment and increase their metabolic rate.
For example, in winter, temperate and boreal regions have low temperatures, and snakes will be groggy based on ambient temperature, which is a manifestation of slow metabolic rates, so in winter snakes will hide and hibernate when they are vulnerable.
Figure: The distribution of the world's largest snakes is basically consistent with the distribution of tropical rainforests
In the tropics, the temperature is high all year round, the metabolism is fast, and the cells replicate and divide quickly, so the size grows larger. According to the map along the equator, the Indonesian tropical rainforest reticulated python, the Myanmar rainforest Burmese python, the African savannah (rainforest) region of the African rock python, the Amazon rainforest area is more than 1/2 of China's area, with more energy sources, the birth of the prototype of the "Plague of The Python" green forest grasshopper.
< h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > accurate scientific expedition records</h1>
According to the scientific expedition records:
The largest wild Burmese python, 5.68 meters long and weighing 58 kilograms;
The largest burmese python in captivity is 5.74 meters and weighs 100 kg;
The largest African rock python, 5.72 meters, the coarsest diameter of 0.41 meters;
The largest reticulated python, 7.1 meters, weighs 75 kg;
Green grasshopper, 5.97 m, weight 113 kg.
Pictured: The difference between a forest hopper and a python
These data may have been partially recorded, because the data of animals is more complex, such as the Burmese python that invaded the swamps of Florida in the United States, and because of the climate and geographical conditions, it is an animal paradise, so it has also given birth to a 5.86-meter Burmese python. But even if the record is broken, it is not much more than that, because the size of the python depends largely on the environment. These largest individuals are actually "Yao Ming" in the population, basically have reached the limit level that the environment can provide, the average level of adult individuals basically have to beat 6 to 7 folds, that is to say, 5 to 6 meters of python is not everywhere, more commonly seen adult individuals are about 3 to 4 meters. If the python wants to continue to grow, it will rely on changes in the environment.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > Titan Python</h1>
60 million years ago, snake species were once "invincible in the world". After the extinction of the dinosaurs, there were a large number of ecological niches, and titan pythons came into being with environmental recovery. It appeared as a result of a surge in the Earth's temperature (Eocene extreme heat event), and as we mentioned above, the size of the snake is related to temperature.
Found in the Colombian region, the Titan Python is now in the Amazon rainforest pit, from the analysis of 28 python fossils, titan python length is about 12 to 15 meters, weighs about 1.13 tons, the largest part of the body diameter is 1 meter, they feed on half a ton crocodile and giant turtle. 50 million years ago, with the temperature falling, the Titan Python disappeared with it.
Figure: Reticulation and Titan spine comparison
< h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > last</h1>
Titan pythons (15 meters, 1 ton) are perhaps the largest snakes in earth's history, and the heaviest snake on Earth is the green forest crab (113 kg) and the longest snake is the reticulated python (7.1 meters), both of which live in tropical rainforests with abundant temperature and energy, but these giant beasts are on the verge of extinction, because they have become the decorations of the "fashion frontier" of human beings.