From jumping off trees to swallowing humans whole, here are 14 of the biggest snake species
in the world.
14.
Yellow Anaconda
When most people think of an anaconda, they are thinking of the green anaconda.
But the yellow anaconda is the smallest species of anaconda there is, if you can consider
it small!
It reaches a maximum length of 10 feet (3 m).
As its name suggests, this type of snake is usually yellow or greenish yellow with black
or dark brown blotches, spots, and streaks.
It is native to Paraguay, Bolivia, southern Brazil, and northern Argentina.
They are threatened by illegal poaching and are hunted for their meat and skins.
Anaconda generally refers to the Eunectes genus of snakes which are members of the boa
family.
Unlike most snakes that usually lay eggs, anacondas give birth to live young and live
near bodies of water.
If they catch their meal in the water, they will suffocate it to death and/or drown it,
whichever comes first!
The Yellow Anaconda is no exception and it is also not a picky eater!
They’ll eat just about anything they can swallow.
The Telegraph newspaper reported a story about wildlife photographer Chris Brunskill who
captured a ferocious battle between a jaguar and a yellow anaconda!
Who do you think the winner was?
Let us know in the comments below!
The answer is coming up!!
13.
Eastern Indigo Snake
Indigo snakes are the longest snake species in the United States.
The longest recorded specimen of the species measured over 9 feet (2.8 m) long!
They’re called indigo snakes because their scales are a shiny blackish purple.
They are not venomous but they do prey on other snakes, frogs, turtles, lizards, birds,
and mammals including mice and rats.
They are a bit uncommon and usually are only found in southeastern states like Georgia
and Florida- you know how much snakes like Florida!
A curious fact is that they love to wander, females will often live in an area of about
100 acres and males will use even 4 times that amount of space.
They may often be found sharing a burrow with a gopher tortoise to protect them from the
cold.
They are listed as a threatened species because so many people have gone out into the wild
to collect them for the pet trade.
Speaking of being threatened, if the Eastern Indigo feels attacked, it will flatten its
head, and hiss and vibrate its tail.
Vibrating its tail produces a rattling sound that mimics the rattle of a rattlesnake.
However, these snakes rarely bite and, when they do, remember, it is not venomous.
12.
Bushmaster
This is the largest pit viper in the world!
The bushmaster’s scientific name translated from latin literally means “Silent Death”.
A pit viper is a type of venomous snake that possesses a sensitive pit organ that allows
it to accurately aim when striking.
The pit organ allows it to detect another creature’s heat signature.
How’s that for a super power!
Not only can they see the world in the visible light spectrum like we can, but the pit organ
serves as heat sensors, so they can also see in the infrared spectrum.
Native to the scrublands and forests of southern central America to northern South America,
it prefers damp areas with lots of rain.
Their population is actually unknown because they live in dense forests and unexplored
areas.
There are three species of pit vipers and they are all large.
The bushmaster ranges from 6.5 feet (2 m) to over 12 feet (3.5 m) making them the longest
venomous snake found in the Americas!!
They are considered the 2nd longest venomous snake in the world after the king cobra.
A bushmaster may wait for weeks in a single location, waiting to ambush its prey, which
is usually rodents.
Few people have been bitten but just that little amount of data suggests that there
is an 80% mortality rate, also making this snake the deadliest snake in the Americas.
Fun fact: They are also the only egg-laying pit viper found in the Americas as well.
This snake breaks all kinds of records!
11.
Papuan Python
The Papuan Python, or Papuan Olive Python, is found in New Guinea and Indonesia.
One of the most amazing things about this snake is its ability to change color!
No one knows why or how it can do it.
Its coloring allows it to blend in easily with its environment and some of them have
a dark stripe just behind the eye.
It is also unique because it has a blue tongue.
It can also grow up to 17 feet (5 m) long!
Just as a reference, I am only 5’6”!
The good thing is they are not known as being aggressive but they are not commonly kept
as pets.
It adapts easily to different kinds of environments ranging from tropical rainforest to the savannah.
It eats other snakes and mammals by squeezing them to death and they are not venomous.
10.
Dark-Spotted Anaconda
The Dark-Spotted Anaconda is a rare and elusive snake that lives in the Brazilian Amazon.
This type of anaconda reaches between 15-16 feet in length, (about 5 m).
Like most other anacondas, this snake loves the water and they are great swimmers and
divers.
Their bodies are well adapted to the water too.
Both the eyes and nose are set high on the head so they can hunt from the water.
They will also rest in branches hanging over lakes and rivers.
This allows the Dark-Spotted Anaconda to drop onto its prey from above, as well as to be
able to escape quickly if something tries to attack them.
If you think an anaconda jumping on you from a tree sounds scary, just wait until you hear
what happened to the guy in number 2!!!
9.
King Cobra
This snake is the longest venomous snake in the world!
Coming in at a maximum length of about 18 feet (5.5 m), king cobras are known for the
hood that rises on either side of its neck when threatened.
It is one of the most feared and respected creatures on the planet because not only is
it huge, but it can also be deadly.
Native to southeast Asia, it is the only snake in its genus, Ophiophagus and it might be
more closely related to mambas than to other cobras.
By the way, Ophiophagus means “snake eater” because that is mostly what it eats.
Other snakes.
Just how venomous is the King Cobra?
Well, there are other snakes with more potent venom.
However, what matters is the amount of venom it can pump into its victim.
One bite can kill a 12,000 pound elephant in just 3 hours.
Its venom attacks the nervous system which causes paralysis.
A human can die in 30 minutes.
Fun fact, when these snakes feel threatened they can rise up to 6 feet off the ground
and will start to make a growling noise to intimidate their enemy.
One scientist compared it to the growl of an angry German shepherd.
So...back off!
8.
Boa Constrictor
Native to tropical Central and South America, boa constrictors are cousins of the Anaconda.
Like their relatives, they are excellent swimmers.
However, they prefer to stay on dry land and live in hollow logs and abandoned burrows.
They are commonly kept as pets and bred in captivity which has become a problem because
they get so large that owners can no longer keep them so they let them go out in the wild.
In Florida they have become a huge problem and grow to massive sizes.
Boas can grow up to 13 feet long (4 m) and weigh over 100 pounds.
The Boa Constrictor never stops growing and can live up to 30 years!
That’s a long term commitment if you have one as a pet!
They have small, hooked teeth on their jaws, which allows them to hang onto their prey
while they constrict it.
They will eat anything they can catch, including birds, wild pigs, deer, and, on rare occasions,
people.
7.
Indian Python
Indian pythons are divided into two subspecies: Burmese and Indian.
The Indian python is the smaller of the pair.
Its maximum length is about 21 feet (6.4 m) and can weigh around 200 pounds!!
Female pythons are larger than the males in both species.
A large python can squeeze the life out of a deer and then, as you probably guessed,
swallow it whole.
After such a large meal, the snake might not have to eat again for a year!!
These pythons prefer to live in the jungle but their habitats are disappearing quickly
because of the lumber industry, agriculture, and human expansion.
They are critically endangered and India has established several large areas to protect
their habitat, sometimes even with armed-guard patrols.
Poaching and illegal trade continues and many of the snakes are skinned alive to preserve
the quality of the skin.
6.
Burmese Python
Burmese pythons grow up to 25 feet (7.5 meters) long and can weigh as much as 300 pounds.
This makes them one of the largest snakes in the world.
Not only is it long, but it can be as thick as a telephone pole!
When they are young, they prefer to live in trees but, as they grow larger, they stick
to the ground.
Surprisingly, despite their size, they are excellent swimmers and can stay underwater
for up to 30 minutes.
Burmese pythons are also one of the species of snakes appearing in the Florida Everglades.
Pythons of various types have been appearing there as people release their pets or the
snakes just escape.
Just this month, hunters caught a 17-foot-long, 130 pound Burmese python.
It was the longest snake caught in South Florida Water Management District’s newly formed
Python Elimination Program.
In 2011 in Orlando, Florida, an 8-foot Burmese python escaped from its tank and snuck into
the room of a 2-year-old girl and strangled her.
Its owners, her parents, hadn’t fed the snake in over a month.
The State's Attorney said he would not prosecute them lightly.
5.
Amethystine Python
Dubbed the longest non-venomous snake in Australia, the Amethystine Python gets its name from
its amethyst-like color.
It’s also known as the scrub python.
Not only can they be found in Australia but also Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.
The Amethystine Python can grow over 26 feet (8 m) long!
Like all the other snakes the Amethystine Python eats everything it can get its jaws
around, from small birds to the odd kangaroo.
These snakes are nocturnal and prefer to ambush their prey at night, striking their unsuspecting
victims quickly before constricting.
Humans are rarely attacked.
4.
African Rock Python
The African rock python is the largest species of snake in Africa.
It lives in grasslands and savannahs near water, as well as on the forest edges in sub-Saharan
Africa.
They sometimes submerge in water to better ambush their prey.
Their usual choice is monkeys, pigs, birds, even crocodiles.
Not picky!
This snake can be anywhere from 20-30 feet (6-9 m) and weigh up to 250 lbs (113 kg)!
Females are typically larger than males and will also aggressively defend their eggs.
In 2002, a 20-foot-long African rock python ate a 10-year-old boy.
The incident occurred near Durban in South Africa where children had been gathering fruit.
The python trapped the boy and quickly wrapped itself around his body.
The other children ran and hid up a mango tree where they stayed for hours, watching
the snake swallow their friend.
Hunters and police immediately began searching for the snake but there is no word on whether
the snake was ever found.
It was the first time this kind of snake was reported to eat a human.
3.
Reticulated Python
Now we are getting to the truly massive snakes.
As if they weren’t already big enough!
The reticulated python has the honor of being the heaviest snake on the planet.
The largest one ever found was nearly 30 feet.
They’ve also been known, on rare occasions, to eat people.
Their weight can clock in at 350 pounds (158 k) or more.
Reticulated pythons live in Southeast Asia.
They are also found on some islands because they are capable of swimming for long distances.
Impressive, right?!
They can live in the rainforest or woodlands.
Some have kept these massive reptiles as pets, which makes them even more widely distributed
because they often escape.
Or, worse, their owners release them on purpose.
In 2003, a 49-foot-long reticulated python was captured in Indonesia and was put on display
in 2004.
The snake had become a real menace to the local community, eating three or four dogs
a month.
The snake beat the Guinness World Record for longest captured snake, which was 32 feet.
This behemoth also weighed close to a thousand pounds.
The longest reticulated python in captivity ever lives in Missouri.
Her name is Medusa and she comes in at 25 feet, 2 inches, or 7.67 meters.
2.
Green Anaconda
Called the longest snake in the world, the Green Anaconda is also called the Giant Anaconda.
It’s referred to as “green” because of its greenish-brown, olive, or greenish-gray
scales.
Even though they hold the record, some experts still debate on their actual length.
It is hard to stretch out a captive anaconda and people who see one out in the wild tend
to overestimate the length due to fear.
Also, recently fed anacondas tend to look larger than they really are.
Skins of dead snakes can be stretched, which further confuses the issue.
Many publications, including National Geographic, The Nature Conservancy and the San Diego Zoo
list the Green anacondas’ maximum verified length as 29 or 30 feet.
However, one expert who has captured and measured more than 1,000 anacondas believes they don’t
grow much longer than 20 feet or 6 meters.
The Guinness Book of World Records, who is usually the definitive source for this type
of thing, lists the longest snake in captivity ever recorded as the 25-foot reticulated python,
Medusa that I just mentioned.
In 2014, during an episode of Discovery Channel’s “Eaten Alive”, a naturalist named Paul
Rosolie put on a “snake-proof suit” and tried to get swallowed by a 20-foot-long green
anaconda.
Why??
Well, just to see what it was like, apparently.
The conservationist/daredevil managed to provoke the snake into attacking him but the crew
wasn’t prepared to watch a man get bitten, constricted, and eaten alive.
He panicked when the snake started to put its jaws around his head and crush his arm.
Experts rushed to pull Rosolie out of the snake’s mouth.
The poor snake didn’t know what hit it.
By the way, did you guess who would win the fight between the jaguar and the anaconda?
In this case, it was the jaguar who was victorious!
1.
Titanoboa
Though extinct, no list about the biggest snake species would be complete without the
titanoboa.
Titanoboa lived approximately 60 million years ago during the Paleocene Period.
Its fossils were first discovered in a coal mine in La Guajira, Colombia in 2009.
Its name means “titanic boa”.
Titanic is certainly the right word for it.
It grew to approximately 50 feet long and weighed around 2,500 pounds.
That’s twice as long as the longest snake living today and four times as heavy as the
giant anaconda.
As far as looks go, it looked quite a bit like the modern anaconda, though it most likely
didn’t hunt like one.
Modern anacondas constrict their prey to death.
Scientists believe the titanoboa killed their prey by striking, then crushing and swallowing
creatures like giant crocodiles.
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