Finding out which snake is the largest in the world is quite difficult. There are a huge number of stories about these creatures, in which there is data on their size, but sometimes, they are not recorded in the documents. Most often, the largest snakes are found in impenetrable forest areas located in remote areas.
The leader among the largest snakes is the long-extinct species – Titanoboa, experts agreed that representatives of this species were relatives of the boa constrictor. Individuals of this species inhabited the territory of present-day Colombia almost sixty million years ago. Scientists who have carefully analyzed the skeleton that have survived to our times, voiced the results of the examination, the conclusion indicates that the weight of the largest snakes in the distant past was a little more than a ton, and the length could reach a mark equal to 15 m.
At the moment, the reticulated python is the leader, the length of the largest snake that lived in captivity was 7.5 m. The record belongs to a female known as Samantha. In the Bronx Zoo everyone could admire it. She was caught on the territory of the island of Borneo. Samantha died nineteen years ago. Below is a ranking of the largest snakes in the world, these individuals are included in the Guinness Book of Records.
10. Mulga or King brown snake, up to 3 m
This species can be found in Australia, its individuals choose small-leaved forests, fields, desert areas for habitation, they are not in tropical forests. Mulga’s bite is dangerous and threatens human life. An adult snake is able to release up to 150 mg of its venom with each bite.
The snake has a deep brown color, the length of medium specimens reaches 1.5 m, their average weight is 3 kg. The largest of the representatives can weigh more than 6 kg, and the length is within 3 m. The diet is quite varied, snakes eat: lizards, small snakes, frogs, insects, birds. In the clutch of the laid female, 8 to 20 eggs are most often present.
9. Bushmaster or Lachesis , up to 3 m
The bushmeister (surukuku) is the largest representative of the venomous snakes found in South America. Not many people manage to see them, individuals prefer territories remote from people’s homes, they do not form groups, they live alone.
Their embossed scales have a yellow-brown tint, against which there are large dark-brown diamond-shaped spots. The standard length of the snake is 2.5-3 m, the weight is from 3 to 5 kg, but sometimes there are individuals with a length approaching 4 m.
Individuals of this species prefer forests in the tropical zone; for them, the presence of water is a prerequisite for a comfortable existence. The bushmaster goes in search of food only after sunset, during the day he hides in impassable thickets. They feed on rodents, birds, amphibians; a snake covered by foliage awaits its victims on the ground. The bushmeister’s poison is dangerous, the mortality rate is up to 12%.
8. Morelia spilota (Light) python, up to 3 m
The light tiger python is not a venomous snake. It lives in Asia and prefers dense, humid, tropical forests located near water bodies. Usually, a snake chooses a quiet, humid place for life, it can be: a hole, a cavity in a tree trunk or another secluded corner. Pythons can climb trees, swim. In their diet there are: small rodents, birds, small mammals. They tightly wrap their prey, squeezing until the prey stops breathing, and then swallow it whole.
Light brindle python (Indian) usually has a length in the range of 4-5 m. Their color is light tones, they are dominated by brownish, reddish, yellowish and grayish colors.
7. Amethystine python, up to 4 m
The largest snake in Australia. The amethyst python is protected by law. They most often live in northeastern Queensland. They feel great in monsoon forests with high humidity, areas with dense grassy vegetation, they prefer to be: in trees with a lush crown, in the depressions of stone blocks, mangrove forests, in bushes.
The average size of individuals is from 2 to 4 m, some of them grow up to 5-6 m. In old sources you can find information that there were specimens that reached 8.5 m in length. Feathered and lizards are their favorite treats. The victims of massive representatives of the species are: wallabies, couscous and even pets.
6. Black mamba, up to 4 m
Mamba – refers to a dangerous snake, she lives in Africa. Most often, she spends time on the ground, in rare cases, she can crawl onto tree branches and bushes. It got its name due to the fact that the inner side of its mouth is black. The color is dominated by olive, gray, brown tones with a shining sheen. The bite of this snake is very dangerous, before the invention of the antidote, it always ended in death. Experts believe that mambas are nervous and prone to aggression; there is evidence that from the moment of the bite, death occurred in less than an hour.
The length of the average snake of the black mamba is 2.5-3 m, there is information, not documented, that a mamba was found, the length of which reached 4.3 m. The mass usually does not exceed 1.6 kg, it does not belong to massive ones.
Its distinctive feature is its speed, it is considered one of the fastest, at short distances it can move at a tremendous speed, reaching up to 11 km / h.
5. Boa constrictor, up to 5 m
The boa constrictor lives in South and Central America, in the Lesser Antilles. Likes to settle in woodlands and in areas near rivers and lakes. In some countries, they are kept in private homes as hunters for pest control.
The size of the snake varies greatly depending on the subspecies, quality and quantity of food. Most often, female boas are larger than males, the weight of average individuals is usually 10-15 kg, the weight of large representatives can be 27 kg. Boas can be attributed to large snakes, they grow up to 2.5-3 m, sometimes there are specimens reaching 5.5 m.
They have a bright, spectacular, contrasting color. Boas are excellent swimmers, young specimens often climb trees, and adults try to live and catch prey on the ground. Life expectancy is highly dependent on conditions, sometimes they live up to twenty years.
4. King cobra, up to 6 m
The king cobra is considered the largest poisonous snake. Adult cobras most often do not exceed a size equal to 3-4 m. Occasionally there are individuals that are 5.6 m long, but such sizes are an exception. Cobras are very beautiful, thanks to their spectacular appearance, their image is often present in literature, painting, cinema, but do not forget that their alluring, attractive beauty is dangerous, you should not joke with this snake.
The largest cobra came to the researchers in 1937 in Negri Sembilan, it was kept in the London Zoo, its length, recorded in the documents, was 5 m 71 cm.
Snakes of this species love to settle in tropical forests of South and Southeast Asia, they love to hide in deep burrows and darkened caves, and sometimes they can settle in tall trees. Their life expectancy, with rare exceptions, exceeds the mark of 30 years, cobras grow all their lives. In its natural habitat, the king cobra usually preys on other snakes, small rodents, monitor lizards. It can often be found in areas where people live. The venom of this snake is very dangerous, it causes a malfunction of the respiratory system, a person can die within 15 minutes.
3. Morelia spilota (Dark) python, up to 6 m
The dark tiger python is a non-venomous snake of impressive length. Under natural conditions, the length of the python does not exceed the mark equal to 3.7-5 m, sometimes there are specimens, the size of which is up to 5 m, and the weight is up to 75 kg. Usually, the record figures belong to females.
The female “Baby” reached a record size; she was kept in a safari park in Illinois, her length was 5 m 74 cm.
A favorite habitat for pythons is the dense tropical jungle. Representatives of this species dive and swim beautifully; at a young age, they often spend time in the trees. The favorite delicacy of pythons are: various birds, animals. Pythons are often kept in homes as pets, many like their spectacular, bright, rich color. Pythons are not aggressive, they have a stable nervous system.
2. Anaconda, up to 6 m
Anaconda is recognized as one of the largest snakes in the world and is rightfully ranked second in our ranking. Found in South America. For this species, the presence of a reservoir is of great importance, individuals are excellent swimmers and even know how to dive.
The books describe specimens of impressive size. Georg Dahl described a huge anaconda, the length of which was 8 m 43 cm, and Ralph Blomberg talked about an individual 8 m 54 cm long.In 1944, an individual was caught, its length reached 11 m 43 cm.The largest specimens recorded in sources are 18 m 59 cm and 24 m 38 cm. Experts do not confirm these data, out of 780 studied individuals, only one female from Venezuela reached 5 m 21 cm, while her weight was 97.5 kg. Scientists think that the largest size can be equal to 6.7 m. Usually males reach up to 3 m, and females up to 4.6 m. Their length is not able to reach the mark equal to 5 m. The average weight is from 30 to 70 kg.
1. Asian reticulated python, up to 8 m
The Asian reticulated python ranks as the first in the list of the largest snakes in the world, its superiority over other species is beyond doubt. Python has a magnificent bright color, thanks to which it got its name.
Ralph Blomberg in his works described a python, which was 33 feet long. This fact is not recorded in the documents. Information about the found python from the Philippines was also not confirmed, the declared 14 m was almost 2 times less. In nature, representatives of this species grow within 7-8 m.
Experts who conducted research in the southern part of Sumatra found that the usual length of pythons ranges from 1 m 15 cm to 6 m 05 cm, researchers have carried out more than a thousand measurements. The length of the largest snake caught in Indonesia was 6 m 96 cm, weight was 59 kg. The leader is the previously described Samantha. The Guinness Book of Records contains data on another python, whose length was 9 m 75 cm, he was killed on the island of Celebes in Indonesia, more than a hundred years ago.