Fear of snakes is one of the most common phobias in the world, and researchers are still studying
whether this fear is learned or are humans actually born with it. Nevertheless, the best
way to overcome your fears is to face them head on. And we have just what the doctor ordered.
Control your hiss-teria as we count down the 11 Most Monstrous Snakes That Ever Existed!
What’s up, fact-natics! This is Discovery Amuse,
serving up your daily dose of the most outrageous, outlandish, and out-of-this-world fun facts!
Stick around ‘til number one and you’ll be thankful you’re not living in the prehistoric era!
Stick out your parsel-tongues ‘coz here we go!
#11: Green Anaconda
You anaconda don’t wanna see the real thing in person. But if you’re such a thrill-seeker,
then head on over to the Amazon rivers to get a glimpse of the colossal Green Anaconda!
Dubbed as the world’s heaviest snake, the green anaconda can weigh up to 550 pounds and grow as
long as an average school bus at 29 feet! They hunt by wrapping their enormous muscular bodies
around their prey and squeezing it until it runs out of air. The stretchy ligaments in their jaws
allow them to swallow their prey whole… like this poor capybara that ended up being dinner!
In 2016, some Brazilian construction workers allegedly unearthed a Herculean anaconda,
that weighed a whopping 900 pounds and measured 33 feet long! These clips showed how the workers
used chains and a crane to take it out of the construction site. Its flat head suggests
it might have been killed by explosion, which drew flak among environmentalists.
If these images sent shivers down your spine, wait ‘til you see the anaconda’s distant,
pre-historic relative. That’s coming up in our number one entry!
#10: Medusa
Unlike the character from Greek mythology, this reticulated python named Medusa will not
turn you into stone… but she can surely make you freeze like a statue just by its size!
Reticulated pythons grow up to 10-20 feet, but Medusa’s full length
has reached 25 feet and two inches -- more than twice the average! In fact,
Medusa is the Guinness World Record holder for the longest snake ever in captivity! And that
sounds just about right since it took 15 people to stretch her out entirely for this photo op!
Medusa is currently kept by Full Moon Productions at a haunted house in Kansas City,
where audiences can gaze at her full glory.
Amber: She’s very mesmerizing at 25 feet and 2 inches, and she’s part of our family.
Uhm, I don’t know about mesmerizing, especially when this thicc lady weighs 350 pounds and eats
rabbits, hogs, and deer for dinner, and likes munching on rats for snack time.
#9: Australian Wonambi
The Land Down Under is not just known for its cute and cuddly kangaroos and koalas.
Once upon a time, it was also home to one of the largest species of constrictors in the world.
The wonambi is described as a large reptile that roamed the Earth during the Ice Age.
It was discovered through fossils collected in South Australia, and it was the first extinct
snake found in the country. Its length was estimated at between 16 and 20 feet,
while its body thickness was compared to a telegraph pole!
The wonambi got its name from the aboriginal people’s Rainbow
Serpent, a mythological being associated with fertility and nature. The natives
reportedly warned their children not to go to watering holes, which was believed
to be the Wonambi’s hunting ground for kangaroos, wallabies, and other animals.
Research shows that it had sharp re-curved teeth that prevented its food from sliding
out of its mouth. However, despite its size and killing efficiency,
the wonambi had a small skull, so scientists believed it probably didn’t attack larger animals.
#8: Olive Python
These photos are not photoshopped.
Australian kayaker Martin Muller’s witnessed firsthand this epic duel
between a croc and an olive python, where the serpent clearly won the battle after
it devoured the Australian freshwater crocodile in a swamp in Queensland!
Olive pythons are among the largest species of snakes in Australia, and they can expand up to
13 feet in length. These snakes have an appetite for birds, bats, rats, and small mammals. But
during their cheat days, they may indulge on a healthy serving of freshwater crocs,
that takes months to digest. So don’t be fooled by that teeny-weeny head of theirs.
Man: As a rule of thumb, they can swallow 10x the size of their own head.
So if my foot there was a rabbit, Pippi here could eat it quite easily. And she does quite often.
Good thing Pippi was well-fed before the filming of this video or things
might have escalated quickly!
#7: Burmese Python
In 2017, a 17-foot-long Burmese python was captured in the Everglades in Florida,
and the more horrifying news was… a necropsy showed it was carrying 95 bouncing baby snakes!
On average, Burmese pythons carry around 40 to 50 eggs,
but this one seemed dead set to launch a python invasion with its diabolical spawns!
Man: They would have sat on those eggs for 2 months and incubated them.
And if those eggs were fertilized, as they probably all will be,
all those baby pythons would hatch and they’ll be out in the ecosystem.
Ugh, just the thought of it sends shivers down my spine!
The Burmese python started spreading in the Everglades in the 1980s. Their
presence in the wild is most likely due to hurricanes helping them escape from
captivity or due to pet owners releasing them. Snake-nado is real! (roll clips of Sharknado)
#6: Hognose Snake
Like a lot of its relatives, the hognose snake is venomous, but it’s not dangerous to humans.
Still, it deserves a spot on this list for its “monstrous” performance worthy of an Oscar!
While it’s popular for its upturned snout, the hognose snake has gained notoriety for being an
absolute drama queen. When threatened, it tries to scare off the predator by hissing, flattening its
neck, and raising its head, like cobras do! It would also pretend to strike – but this is all
just for show! When that doesn’t work, it takes its acting to the next level by… playing dead!
Man: If you watch, if you kinda press ‘em on a bit right now, right now,
I’m kinda petting its neck, his head, he’s rolling over right now… and he’s playing dead!
But it’s thespian pièce de résistance (pi-YES de resis-TANS) is when it emits a
foul odor and fecal matter, and sometimes, even small drops of blood! Someone nominate
them in the SAG (sag) Awards already! That’s Snake Actors Guild by the way.
#5: Saw-scaled Viper
These small but terrible creatures are believed to
be responsible for more human deaths… than all other snake species combined!
Saw-scaled vipers--which are typically found in savannas across Africa, Arabia,
and Southwestern Asia--are named as such because of how they rub
sections of their body together to produce a warning sound. Here’s a demo.
Man: All of the scales are running against each other like that being drawn
backwards and forwards against each other, it’s almost as if you were to take a comb
and run your finger down the end of it like that.
You better heed their warning because their venom is extraordinarily potent!
This viper’s venom doesn’t just hurt or kill… it can literally obliterate your
body parts! Just look at how the venom made this man’s skin rot over time! Ugh!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5m07uOT8CW0&has_verified=1
#4: Spider-tailed Viper
By themselves, spiders and snakes are 2 of the most phobia-inducing creatures on earth.
So what happens when you combine these two? You’ll get your absolute worst nightmare!
Meet the spider-tailed viper,
the serpent with a bad case of identity crisis that’s mostly found in Western Iran.
This viper sports a tail that has a bulb and leg-like scales,
making it look like an arachnid. The sneaky snake lures birds by moving its tail and
making it appear like a crawling spider. As soon as the unsuspecting target swoops down,
the spider-tailed viper strikes with lightning speed, and boom! Lunch is served!
#3: Black Mamba
This menacing creature has secured a couple of petrifying titles under its belt, like
“the world’s deadliest snake” and “Africa’s longest venomous snake.”
No wonder it’s a fitting moniker for the NBA legend! We miss you, Kobe!
Their average length is about 8 feet, but black mambas can grow
up to 14 feet long! They are also one of the fastest snakes in the world,
moving at speeds of up to 12.5 miles per hour! Good luck playing tag with one of these bad boys!
Man: whoa, whoa big guy. Whoa!
This creepy-crawler got its name from the blue-black color inside its mouth,
which it displays when threatened.
It fights back by striking repeatedly – with each bite releasing large amounts of
neurotoxin that destroys the nervous system and cardiotoxin, which can lead to cardiac arrest!
#2: King Cobra
Did you know that king cobras can kill elephants with their venom in just a few
hours? It certainly ain’t called a king for nothing!
50-60 percent of untreated bites from these elapid snakes result in death. And king cobras
also have a very effective form of intimidation – a spread out hood, a hiss that sounds like a
growling devil, and a body lift that could stand tall enough to look you straight in the eye!
It can also grow up to 18 feet, which makes it the world’s longest venomous snake.
A single bite can deliver a neurotoxin that would be enough to kill 20 people! In 2016,
a North Carolina man named Ali Iyoob had to drive himself to the hospital while
fighting for his life, after his pet cobra bit him! Here’s an excerpt from his chilling 911 call.
Man: My vision’s kinda blurry, I’m sweating like crazy. I’m like panicking. I feel nauseous.
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#1: Titanoboa
The open-pit coal mine of Cerrejón, in Colombia, happens to be one of the most
important geological sites for fossil deposits. This was where the remains of a gargantuan,
pre-historic, 40-foot-long monster snake were found.
It was named the Titanoboa,
a 1.25-ton serpent that looked like a boa constrictor but behaved like an anaconda.
Based on scientific studies, the Titanoboa existed about 58 to 60
million years ago during the Paleocene era, when other animals were considerably bigger
as well – like turtles as big as a kitchen table and crocodiles averaging over 12 feet.
Researchers believe that the Titanoboa grew to such an impressive size thanks to the warmer
temperatures during that period helped with its metabolism. The snake was so colossal that after
the dinosaur extinction, it became the planet’s largest predator for at least 10 million years!
So, which of these devilish snakes rattled you to the core?
Let us know in the comments section below!
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Now let’s soar high and meet the monsters that
rule the skies! Don’t miss our ranking of the 10 Most Dangerous Birds on Earth!
‘Til then, stay on the safe side, fact-natics! And see you in the next video!