The Python and the boa snake species are some of the biggest serpents in the world. However, which snake is the biggest snake in the world depends on whether we are looking for the worldโs longest or largest snake. Whether you find snakes amusing or horrifying, here are some facts about the biggest snake in the world that will slither into your thoughts.
The largest snakes in the world are given below. Read until the end to find out the biggest snake in the world and the largest ones.
Many giant serpents are roaming this planet. Here are some interesting facts about the 15 biggest snake in the world.
1. Reticulated Python- The Biggest Snake In The World
If you have ever wondered what is the worldโs longest snake, it is the reticulated Python. The reticulated Python is more than 20 feet long. Their weight can be up to 595 pounds. The reticulated Python is characterized by smooth, multi-color dorsal scales with a geometric pattern. Their brownish-yellow and black colour help them camouflage.
The female reticulated pythons are longer than the male reticulated pythons. Reticulated Python inhabits rainforests, marshes, and woodlands of Southeast Asia. In Indonesia and Myanmar, they can be found in sewers. They tightly wrap around the trees and push their bodies up with muscle force to climb up a tree. Reticulated pythons are not an endangered snake species.
They are nocturnal creatures and their favourite midnight snacks include all mammals, from rats to antelopes. Reticulated pythons are excellent swimmers, but they are not a fan of water. They constrict their prey.
The longest reticulated Python was discovered in 1912 and measured around 10 meters. This is more than the height of a giraffe. Among the captive specimens, the largest living reticulated Python is Medusa. Medusa is about 7.67 meters and weighs more than 350 pounds. Medusa is held captive at The Edge of the Hell Haunted House, Kansas. This female reticulated Python stays still most of the time and devours her prey in one bite. She is one the biggest snake in the world which is captive.
2. Green Anaconda
Another one on the list of the biggest snake in the world is the green anaconda. While the reticulated Python is the longest snake, the title of the heaviest snake goes to Green Anaconda. They have large bodies and can weigh up to 500 pounds. They belong to the boa family. They are known as giant anacondas. According to the Natural History Museum, the biggest anaconda recorded was 227 kilograms and 27 feet long. The female anaconda is bigger than the male snakes.
Green Anacondas are non-venomous snakes. They can be a choice for pet owners who love snakes. This massive snake is found in swamps and rivers of South America and Trinidad. They mostly live in water, so the green anaconda has its eyes and nostrils on top of its head. It assists them in breathing and looking out for their prey as well as predators.
The giant snakes use their muscular bodies to seize their prey. Their diet includes various animals, from turtles and fish to deer, capybaras and jaguars. If the snake babies do not survive birth, the mother is known to devour the dead infant. Who has time to be sentimental after not eating for 7 months right?
The green anaconda is so bulky that a 17 feet long anaconda weighs as much as a reticulated python which is 23 feet. A green anaconda is as long as a school when stretched out bus when stretched out. Green anacondas are unwieldy on land but can swim swiftly. So watch out if you go for a swim in South America! Fortunately, green anacondas are currently not categorized as endangered.
3. Amethystine Python
Python reticulatus is not the only large snake of the Pythonidae family. The amethystine Python is another one of the biggest snakes. These non-venomous snakes are also known as Scrub Pythons. The average length of the Amethystine Python is about 18 feet, but the longest reported measurements are around 27 feet. However, they weigh only about 40 pounds.
The Amethystine Python being the longest species in Australiaโs natural history makes it to the list of the biggest snake in the world. They also roam around in tropical forests and savannahs of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. They prey on bats, rats, lizards, and birds. Amethystine Python has a stable population.
It is a nocturnal creature that stays motionless and suddenly springs on their preys. An interesting fact is that it gets the name- amethystine due to the amethyst-like colour it gets from the coruscant sheen on its scales.
4. Burmese Python
The best-loved species of the snake world by pet owners is the Burmese Python. The Burmese pythons can be at most 23 feet long. They weigh around 300 pounds. The worldโs longest Burmese Python captured was about 18 feet long. The girth of a Burmese python is about the same as a telephone pole. They capture their prey by wrapping around them and suffocating them.
They are naturally found in the marshes of Southeast Asia but have become an invasive species in Everglades, Florida. They escape from their owners and slither around in the swamps of Florida. They are wiping out species of small mammals and reptiles. Their status is also Vulnerable.
Around 900 Burmese pythons have been removed from the marshes and forests of Florida by the Python Action Team of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The Burmese pythons are hunted for their skin and are used as food. Loss of habitat is also responsible for decreasing their number.
5. Indian Python
The Indian Python ( Python molurus) is one of the biggest snakes in the world. This non-venomous reptile lives in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bhutan forests. Indian pythons are approximately 20 feet long and weigh around 150 pounds.
They are whitish or yellowish with a tint of brown shades. They are nocturnal and lethargic. They can stay submerged underwater for a while and climb up trees, but they prefer to be terrestrial. They hibernate during the cold months.
The Indian Python is a vulnerable snake species. They, like other pythons, prey on small mammals and birds by grabbing them with their strong jaws and suffocating them. They are also captured for food and skin. Habitat destruction is affecting their population.
6. King Cobra
The worldโs longest venomous snake tag belongs to the King Cobra, which has an average length of around 13 feet, while the longest recorded distance is 19.2 feet long. This captive specimen was found in 1937 on Malay Pennisula of Negeri Sembilan State and held at the London zoo. It was killed during the second world war for safety purposes.
The king cobras weigh around 20 pounds. They tend to rise when threatened or to see above grassland bushes. They can chase their prey in this position. The king cobra forms a hood by flattening its ribs. It guards the nest it builds very fiercely.
King cobras inhabit rainforests, swamps, and woodland in Southeast Asia. They tend to flee. The King cobra defends itself by hissing, and they have the longest lifespan in the snake world. While on the bright side, their venom is not very strong; on the other hand, a single bite injects sufficient poison to take out 20 people.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature has categorized the King cobra as Vulnerable. These snakes are exploited for food, skin and medicinal purposes. The worldโs longest venomous snake has been facing habitat loss and a rapid decline in population for 10 years. King cobras as preserved in Vietnam.
7. The African Rock Python
The African Rock Python or Python Sebae can grow about 16 feet long, and its weight can reach 250 pounds. They are found slithering on the prairies and savannahs of Africa. Although they belong to sub-Saharan Africa, they have also been found slithering around in Fla.
The African rock python, like most snakes, captures their food by using its massive body to choke them. They feast on various animals like rodents, dogs, birds, antelopes, monkeys, goats, crocodiles, warthogs, and many other large preys.
This Python is so strong and huge that it does not have to worry about its predators. The African Rock Python is a very aggressive snake species known for attacking humans. They are not pet material. They have a stable population.
8. Black Mamba
The black mamba is one of the worldโs longest snakes, and some are known to be more than 14 feet long. Generally, they are only 8 to 10 feet in length. They weigh only around 3 pounds. Their slender bodies make their movement very swift. They slide at the speed of 12.5 kilometers per hour.
Black mambas are one of the most notorious snakes in the world and hunt on the tree and the ground. It is one of the most vicious snakes worldwide, as its venom can kill someone in just 20 minutes! It is shy until itโs not and gets very ferocious when they feel alarmed.
Contrary to their name, Black Mambagrey or brown. They are called Black Mamba because the inside of their mouth is bluish-black. This venomous snake lives in the savannahs of Central and Eastern Africa. They always open their mouth when threatened. They are given the conservation status of Least Concern.
9. Boa Constrictor
The boa constrictor can grow up to 13 feet long. But they are bulky and can weigh up to 60 pounds. The newborns are 2 feet long. The female snakes are larger than the male ones, with a longer length and wider girth.
They live for around 20-30 years, Mostly in solitary. Their diet includes rats, birds, monkeys, and wild pigs. The boa constrictors are known to give birth to 60 babies at once! Since its inception, they have had a strong instinct to grow and hunt independently.
The natural habitat of a boa constrictor is the rainforests and semideserts of South America. This non-venomous snake is mostly held captive. Interestingly, they can grow longer in captivity than in the wild. Boa constrictors are non-venomous snakes and snack on their prey after choking them to death. They can sense warm-blooded animals with the help of their heat-sensing pits. However, their hearing is not good, and they perceive vibrations from their jaws.
10. Yellow Anaconda
Green anacondas are not the only snake of the huge anaconda species. With a standard length of 11 feet, the yellow anaconda also makes the list of the largest snakes in the world.
Eunectes is the scientific name of a yellow anaconda, which in greek means a good swimmer. They are water babies. This large anaconda is found in the marshes of South America and has a small invasive population in Florida. Yellow Anaconda is the apex predator in their natural habitat. Their diet includes mammals, fish, birds, eggs, reptiles, and other yellow anacondas.
11. King Brown Snake
The King Brown snake is another native of Australia, and keeping at par with its neighbors, it is known to grow about 11 feet long. However, the average weight of king brown is only around 13 pounds. They are found slithering around in the pastures, shrublands, and woodlands. Their yellow-brown color helps them hide while hunting small reptiles like frogs, lizards, small mammals, and snakes for food.
Their color depends on the external temperature โ they are lighter in deserts and darker in cooler areas. They are very violent creatures, and there has been some incidence where a king brown snake attacked an asleep person. They are downright crazy.
These venomous snakes savagely chew on their prey while inserting a substantial amount of venom. Their venom is very lethal. It can damage the muscle tissues and break down RBCs. So, it is important to treat their bite properly. They are a member of the black snakes family. The population of King Brown snake is stable.
12. Eastern Indigo
Eastern Indigo is not the biggest snake in the world but the longest species in North America. On average, their length is about 7.7 feet for males and 6.6 feet for females. It is one of the few snakes in the world with larger males. The longest eastern indigo found was around 9.2 feet long. They are matte black.
Some interesting facts about this species are that they flatten their neck in defense and are immune to the venom of cottonmouth, copperhead, and rattler. This non-venomous snake feeds on small mammals, birds, frogs, turtles, and their eggs.
They inhabit hardwood forests, pine Flatwoods, and Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi swamps. They have achieved the federally threatened status due to the urban development in these cities. Their natural habitat is getting destroyed.
13. Eastern Diamondback
Eastern Diamondback is a rattlesnake. Eastern Diamondback is not the biggest snake in the world, but that gets the medal for the heaviest venomous snake in the world. A shot specimen in 1946 was reported to be 7 feet long and weigh around 34 pounds. Their usual lifespan is about 15 to 20 years which they spend in burrows made by gophers.
Their usual snack includes mammals like rats, rabbits, and birds. The eastern diamondback has the longest fangs, around an inch long. Their single bite injects much double-action venom that can kill three people. Hence, they are one of the deadliest snakes.
The eastern diamondback prefers to live on Flatwoods and scrublands in Southwestern America. They are rarely found in wetlands, but some specimens were spotted swimming in barrier reefs. The eastern diamondback has the status of Least Concern with a stable population.
14. Bushmaster
Lachesis, or the bushmaster, is not the biggest snake in the world, but it is about 12 feet long. They are barbarous and unpredictable, which makes them deadly. So, their coffin-shaped head is not a coincidence. The Latin translation of their name is โSilent Death.โ
This venomous snake is responsible for more than 78% of snakebites in Venezuela and Lara. It is generally found in the forests of Central and Southern America. They have infrared spectrums and infrared sensors.
15. Titanoboa Cerrjoensis
According to the fossil record, the worldโs largest species of snake to ever exist was Titanoboa. The fossil remains were discovered in the coal mines of Columbia. The measure of these remains was more than 42 feet long and had a terrifying weight of around 2500 pounds. It is believed that this snake lived about 60 million years ago. This makes it the biggest snake in the world of all time.
Scientists believed that Titanoboa was the top predator in their habitat. After studying their structure, jaw, and teeth, scientists concluded that they were like monster-sized anacondas that mostly lived underwater and captured fish. The behemoth could have easily devoured a 12 feet crocodile or a turtle with a diameter of 5 feet.
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These were some of the biggest snakes in the world. There are many other deadly snakes like Cuban Boa, Beni Anaconda, Dark spotted anaconda and Papua Python. The longest snake species of the sea is the yellow sea snake. Gaboon vipers are said to have the longest fang.
Last Updated on by Himani Rawat
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