Top 10 longest snakes in the world – incredible record holders

Determining the record-breaking snake is not so easy, because. in captivity, measuring the size of a snake will not work. There are many stories about reptiles caught in various forests that were gigantic in size, but there is no documentary evidence.

The largest snake on the planet was recognized as an extinct species, Titanoboa, which, most likely, were relatives of the boa constrictor. They lived on the territory of modern Colombia about 60 million years ago. Zoologists, after analyzing her skeleton, decided that she weighed more than a ton and could reach 15 m in length.

The modern record holder for length is the reticulated python. The largest snake that lived in captivity is Samantha, her length is 7,5 m, she was a female reticulated python. She could be seen at the Bronx Zoo, and a record snake was caught in Borneo, she lived until 2002.

We present you a list with photographs of the 10 longest snakes in the world: individuals listed in the Guinness Book of Records.

10 Mulga, do 3 m

This snake lives in Australia, in light forests, in meadows, deserts, everywhere except for tropical forests. Mulga during one bite it can release up to 150 mg of poison. There is not much chance of surviving after a bite.

It is brown in color, usually the size of an adult is 1,5 m, weight is about 3 kg. But the largest specimens can grow up to 3 m and weigh more than 6 kg. It feeds on lizards, frogs, snakes. The female can lay 8 to 20 eggs.

9. Bushmaster, up to 3m

The largest venomous snake in South America bushmaster or, as it is also called, surukuku. Meeting her is not so easy, because. she leads a solitary lifestyle and prefers uninhabited territories. Its skin is covered with ribbed scales, yellowish-brown, a pattern in the form of brown rhombuses is visible on the body.

The usual length of the snake is 2,5 -3 m, but sometimes it reaches record sizes up to 4 m. It weighs from 3 to 5 kg. It can be found in dense tropical forests, close to water, during the day it mostly hides in dense thickets. Goes hunting at night, catches rodents, can eat birds or other snakes. Its poison is dangerous, but the mortality from it is not so high, no more than 12%.

8. Light tiger python, up to 3 m

Tiger pythons are non-venomous snakes that can be found in Asia, in tropical rainforests. Snakes hide in holes, in tree trunks, they can climb trees. They usually live near water bodies and are excellent swimmers. They eat small animals: various rodents, birds, monkeys, kill, suffocate them with their bodies.

There is a subspecies of these snakes – light tiger python, also called Indian. It has a light color, which is dominated by brown or lighter yellow colors. Large individuals can grow up to 4-5 m.

7. Amethyst python, up to 4 m

This snake lives in Australia, is considered the largest in the country and is protected by law. It can be found in Queensland, on various islands, in humid forests, wooded savannahs. They like to hide in trees, in rocks, under stones.

The average amethyst python grows not very large, from 2 to 4 m, but there are also individual individuals of 5-6 m, according to old reports, they can reach up to 8,5 m in length. Snakes feed on small birds, lizards and animals, large individuals hunt even bush kangaroos, often eat small dogs, cats and chickens.

6. Black mamba, up to 4 m

A venomous snake is common in Africa black Mamba, which prefers to crawl on the ground, only occasionally climbing trees. It is dark olive or greyish brown in color, but the inside of its mouth is black in color, from which it gets its name. She is considered very dangerous, before meeting with her always led to death, but then an antidote was invented. In addition, the snake is very aggressive and easily excited; after a bite, a person can die within 45 minutes.

Its length is 2,5 – 3 m, but some specimens reach up to 4,3 m. But so far there is no documented information that it can reach such sizes. With such a length, it weighs about 1,6 kg, because. is slim.

Another of its features is the speed of movement, at short distances it is 16-19 km / h, but it is officially confirmed that it reached speeds of up to 11 km / h.

5. Boa constrictor, up to 5 m

It is found in South and Central America and the Lesser Antilles. boa constrictor prefers moist forests and river valleys. In some countries they are captured and kept in barns and houses to kill rats and mice.

The size of the snake depends on the subspecies, as well as on its nutrition, on the abundance of food. Usually females are larger than males, weighing 10-15 kg on average, but their weight can reach 27 kg. This is a large snake, growing up to 2,5-3 m, there are also individuals that reach 5,5 m.

It has a bright and contrasting color. Boa constrictors swim well, young individuals climb trees, and those that are older and larger prefer to hunt on the ground. They live for about 20 years.

4. King cobra, up to 6 m

Among poisonous snakes, it is the largest, the average size of which is 3-4 m. But there are individual specimens that can grow up to 5,6 m.

The biggest King Cobra was caught in Negeri Sembilan. This happened in 1937, its length was almost 6 m – 5,71 m. It was sent to the London Zoo.

Snakes prefer to live in the tropical forests of South and Southeast Asia, grow throughout their lives, and they live for about 30 years. They hide in burrows and caves, prefer to feed on rodents. They often live near humans. She is very dangerous, because. Cobra venom causes paralysis of the respiratory muscles, due to which a person can die after 15 minutes. after her bite.

3. Dark tiger python, up to 6 m

Large non-venomous snake. In nature, it rarely reaches record sizes, grows up to 3,7-5 m in length, there are individuals that weigh up to 75 kg and grow up to 5 m. The largest are females.

The largest tiger python in the world that lived in captivity – Baby or “Baby”, she lived in the Snake Safari Park in Illinois, 5,74 m long.

Lives in the tropical jungle. The python can dive and swim while young, climbing trees. It feeds on birds and animals. They have a calm, non-aggressive character, a beautiful catchy color, so these snakes are often kept at home.

2. Anaconda, up to 6 m

It is considered the most massive snake. She lives in South America, leads an aquatic lifestyle, never crawls far from the water, swims and dives well.

If you believe the books, this snake can reach enormous sizes. The naturalist Georg Dahl wrote about anacondas 8,43 m long, and Rolf Blomberg mentioned a specimen at 8,54 m. It is said that in 1944 they caught a snake 11 m 43 cm long. The largest specimens described in the literature are 18,59 m and 24,38 m.

But scientists do not agree with these claims. About 780 caught snakes passed through their hands, but the largest was a female from Venezuela, up to 5,21 m, while she weighed 97,5 kg. Scientists are sure that the maximum size that they can reach is 6,7 m. On average, males grow up to 3 m, and females up to 4,6 m, their size does not exceed 5 m. Adults weigh from 30 to 70 kg.

1. Asian reticulated python, up to 8 m

The longest snake in the world has long been recognized Asian reticulated python. He received this name because of the complex pattern on the body.

Naturalist Ralph Blomberg wrote about a snake 33 feet long, i.e. 10 m. But there is no information confirming this. So the python from the Philippines with a length of more than 14 m turned out to be 2 times smaller. In nature, these snakes can grow up to 7-8 m in length.

In the south of Sumatra, more than 1 thousand wild pythons were measured, their size was from 1,15 to 6,05 m. One of the largest was caught in Indonesia – 6,96 m, weighing 59 kg. The record holder, as mentioned above, is Samantha. But there was another reticulated python 9.75 m long, which was shot on about. Celebes in Indonesia in 1912. He got into the Guinness Book of Records.