July 17, 2024, 12:15 pm | Read time: 5 minutes
They weigh as much as a piano and are as long as a bus! PETBOOK presents the largest snakes in the world and looks back at the earth’s history. Millions of years ago, there were snakes that weighed over a ton!
In Germany, snakes tend to be inconspicuous — if you’re lucky enough to spot one. Germany’s largest snake, the Aesculapian snake, measures only about one and a half meters (ca. 4.9 feet) in length. On other continents of the world there are truly giant snakes, some of which would require a crane to lift them. PETBOOK offers a detailed look at some of the longest and heaviest species.
Anaconda
Although the reticulated python (see below) is slightly longer than the anaconda, the anaconda can weigh up to 250 kilograms (about 551 pounds), claiming the title as the world’s largest snake and one that is still setting new records. According to the latest research, the northern green anaconda is the heaviest snake in the world. It has been spotted in countries such as Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad, Guyana, and Suriname and was only recently recognized as a distinct species.
Anacondas live in South America and belong to the boa family. They move on land and in water, but are only fast in water. While swimming, typically only their head is visible, resting on the water’s surface. Anacondas can also dive and move close to the bottom of the water.
On land, they move slowly, never straying too far from the nearest body of water. Its brown-green scales provide the perfect camouflage in their tropical habitat. This means they are better protected from predators such as big cats and caimans. Conversely, their camouflage also ensures that potential prey of the anaconda are less likely to spot them. The giant snake often lies in wait in the water for hours, ready to strike at lightning speed when smaller birds, amphibians, or even mammals cross its path. To kill its prey, the anaconda bites into it and wraps itself around it tighter and tighter until it suffocates.
Reticulated python
The reticulated python is the second-largest snake in the world. It can grow up to ten meters (ca. 32.8 feet) long when fully grown and weigh around 150 kilograms (about 330 pounds). Females are significantly heavier and longer than males.
However, the reticulated python and anaconda do not meet, as the anaconda lives in South America and the reticulated python can only be found in the wild in tropical areas of Asia. In those regions, it mainly inhabits swamps and forests, but it is adaptable and may also be found in settlements. It mainly hides under houses or in cavities. As they are nocturnal, they rarely encounter humans.
The prey of the reticulated python includes smaller mammals and birds. The larger the reticulated python is, the larger its prey can be. Even wild boars can be attacked and eaten.
Tiger python
Ranking as the third-largest snake on our planet, the tiger python can reach lengths of up to six meters (ca. 19.6 feet) and weigh approximately 90 kilograms (ca. 198 pounds). Originally, the tiger python was only found in Asia but has also settled in Florida thanks to illegally released snakes.
Similar to the anaconda and the reticulated python, tiger pythons also attack their prey from a hiding place, bite into it, and deprive the prey of air with their strong stranglehold. The tiger python usually hunts vertebrates, which are swallowed whole and digested over several weeks and months. Smaller leopards have also been found in the stomachs of dead tiger pythons, but they are rarely the prey of the giant snake. Similar to other snake species, female reticulated pythons are significantly larger and heavier than males, which often leads them to target larger prey.
Rock python
The northern rock python (Python sebae) is last in our rankings. With a length of just under five meters (about 16.4 feet), it is considered the largest snake in Africa. Its range extends from a strip south of the Sahara to the Congo Basin. There, the snakes prefer to live in rocky areas. They can be found in mangroves, swamp forests, savannas, and semideserts.
Like many pythons, this species also loves water. Therefore, they are always found near rivers or lakes. The snakes even hunt crocodiles. Their prey also includes antelopes and other land vertebrates weighing up to 50 kilograms (ca. 110 pounds). Humans are also said to have fallen victim to these snakes.
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The largest snake in the world: the titanoboa
The titanoboa was long considered to be the largest snake to have ever lived on Earth. They are said to have been 13 meters long (ca. 42.6 feet) and weighed over a ton (ca. 2,204 pounds). Researchers have also discovered 27 fossilized vertebrae of a snake of record-breaking size in India. According to calculations, the snake could have been up to 15 meters (about 49 feet), making it one of the largest snakes to have ever lived on Earth..1
The species was named Vasuki indicus gen et sp. nov. It lived more than 41 million years ago in the lutetium, the second stage of the Eocene, at a time when the dinosaurs were already extinct. At that time, the average temperature was 28 degrees (ca. 82.4 Fahrenheit). These warm conditions likely contributed to the snake’s enormous size.
Being cold-blooded, snakes of this magnitude require particularly high external temperatures to sustain their metabolism. The larger the snake, the higher the temperature must be in order to supply the entire body mass with sufficient heat.