Animals
At all times, snakes have evoked ambiguous and contradictory feelings in people. Some idolized snakes, considering them a symbol of extraordinary wisdom and healing. Others classified them as demonic creatures belonging to the other world. Ignorance and fear have given rise to many different, incredible myths and legends. Most often, these stories were based on the bloodthirstiness of these reptiles, their strength, gluttony and size.
There have always been and are rumors circulating among people that supposedly there are such huge snakes that, just by their appearance, instill fear and sow panic. The length of such giants can reach 18 or even 21 meters! However, in truth, these reptiles never grow to such incredible sizes, although some of the modern snakes, compared to their ancestors, can indeed be quite large.
1 place. Green anaconda
Green anaconda (lat. Eunectes murinus) - lives in South America(in the tropical forests of the Amazon and Orinoco), belongs to the boa constrictor family and is quite rightly considered one of the largest and heaviest snakes on the planet. The anaconda is also called the “water boa.” 
Although the reticulated python is slightly longer than the green anaconda, it cannot surpass it in volume. It can reach 8.8 meters in length, the weight of an adult anaconda is from 227 to 250 kg, and the body diameter is up to 30 cm! I would like to immediately note that female green anacondas are much larger than males.
2nd place. Reticulated python
The reticulated python (lat. Python reticulatus) is a resident of South and Southeast Asia, found in tropical forests, on mountain slopes and in woodlands. Belongs to the genus of true pythons (lat. Python). To date this is the most long snake: can grow up to 9.7 m, but its weight is slightly less than that of the anaconda - 158 kg. 
However, the largest of them can grow up to 10 meters, the average length is 4-8 m. According to unconfirmed data, in one of the zoos there lived a python whose length was 12.2 m. Interestingly, the longest reticulated python is a female nickname Samantha. She was kept in captivity and was over 7.5 meters long. She was caught in Borneo and died in 2002 at the Bronx Zoo (USA).
3rd place. Dark tiger python
The dusky tiger or Burmese python (Python bivittatus) is the third largest non-venomous snake in the world. The longest tiger python was more than 9 meters in length, and it weighed almost 100 kg! These snakes live in tropical forests, wetlands and river valleys Eastern India, Myanmar, Cambodia, Nepal, southern regions of China, as well as Java, Hainan and Indonesia. 
Interestingly, the Burmese python is one of the few predators that can afford to hunt jackals and jaguars, and can even give a real rebuff to the anaconda itself. Despite their significant mass, they swim and dive beautifully, and young individuals are excellent tree climbers.
4th place. King Cobra
The king cobra (lat. Ophiophagus hannah) is the largest venomous snake on the planet, considered the longest among venomous snakes, belongs to the family of asps (lat. Elapidae). It lives in South and Southeast Asia, mainly in India, Pakistan, Indonesia and the Philippines. The lifespan of the king cobra is also impressive - more than 30 years, and it grows throughout its life. 
It can reach a length of up to 5.5-5.7 meters, weight up to 12.5-12.7 kg. It is worth noting that with their symmetrical, large shields on the head, slender physique and smooth dorsal scales, adders (outwardly) are similar to snakes, which is why they are often called “poisonous snakes.”
5th place. Gaboon viper
The Gaboon viper (lat. Bitis gabonica) is a poisonous snake belonging to the genus of African vipers. Lives in Central and East Africa south of the Sahara. An unusually thick snake relative to its length. It has a large, wide, flat, triangular head with small eyes, and a very short tail. 
With a length of only 2 meters, the viper weighs up to 20 kg! Refers to viviparous snakes. There are usually about 60 cubs in a litter. It is considered the largest of the viper family, and also has the longest poisonous teeth among all representatives of its genus.
6th place. Bushmaster
Bushmaster (lat. Lachesis muta) is a poisonous snake, the largest representative of the viper family living in South America. The length of this viper can reach up to 2.5-3.65 m (rarely up to 4 m). The Bushmaster's poisonous teeth can be up to 2.5 cm long, and some of them have teeth that grow up to 4 cm! The bushmaster leads a solitary nocturnal lifestyle. Hunts rodents, and on occasion attacks birds, lizards and other snakes. Can live up to 20 years. 
Interesting fact: thanks to recent archaeological finds, as well as research by the Smithsonian Museum and Research Center, the largest and longest snake in the world is considered to be the Titanoboa boa constrictor, which lived 60 million years ago in Colombia. Its length was more than 15 m, and it weighed more than a ton (about 1.135 kg).
The world of snakes is wide and varied. Among them there are many who are capable of striking with their unique abilities. Some snakes are able to move with amazing speed, others amaze with their colossal strength, and a third can even spit with extraordinary accuracy.
These reptiles live almost everywhere and their relatives can be found on every continent, with the exception of Antarctica. However, for some reason they are not present on some large islands, such as New Zealand and Ireland, as well as on many small Pacific islands.
This very heterogeneous tribe already numbers 3,460 various types and among them there are many who will surprise even the most experienced reader.
In this article we will look at various records set by these mysterious ancient reptiles.
The world of snakes amazes with its diversity: some move with incredible speed, others are surprisingly strong, and still others spray venom directly into the eyes of the enemy.
Longest snake
The longest snake in the world is the anaconda. This anaconda boa constrictor living on the territory of the South American continent is one of the longest terrestrial vertebrates that has survived to this day.
The greatest length was achieved by an anaconda caught in Colombia. Careful measurements showed that its length was a full eleven meters and forty-three centimeters.
These snakes live in the impenetrable Amazon jungle and most often their habitat is the swampy banks along this mighty river. These giants feed on animals living on the banks of the Amazon. Mainly various birds, agouti and nutria. To others giant representative The reptile is the reticulated python. Most major representative This species now lives in one of the Japanese zoos. The length of this overgrown muscular cord is twelve meters and twenty centimeters, and its weight is two hundred kilograms.
True, living in natural environment Pythons of this species have a length from one to six meters. And they weigh from one kilogram to seventy-five. Moreover, pythons living on the mainland are much larger than their island relatives. Reticulated pythons got their name from the complex pattern with a rainbow tint that covers this reptile.
Longest venomous snake
Longest poisonous snake is native to Southern China, Pakistan, Indochina, India, the Philippines and the Mallaka Peninsula, King Cobra. The length of this snake can reach up to five and a half meters. This poisonous creature poses a great danger to most animals, including humans. The venom of the king cobra is so strong that a person dies from such a bite in just a few minutes.
Trying to scare away a person, the snake can make “idle” bites, without injecting poison at all; apparently, the cobra needs it primarily for hunting. It must be said that this cobra has a fairly long life expectancy by the standards of the animal world, which can reach up to thirty years. Moreover, this snake continues to grow throughout its life. As a rule, king cobras hide in burrows and caves, but they can also crawl into trees. In most cases, they live in a specific area, but sometimes they move over very long distances (up to several tens of kilometers).
King cobras feed mainly on snakes of other species, including poisonous ones. Because of this (and also because of their increased aggressiveness), they are almost never kept in zoos in particular and in captivity in general. It is almost never possible to switch a king cobra to feeding on rats. In nature, king cobras sometimes even eat small monitor lizards. It can live up to three months without food.
The smallest snake
The smallest snake living on earth is the blind snake, which lives on the island of Nosy Be. This island is located near the island of Madagascar. The length of this tiny snake is only ten centimeters. They lead a burrowing lifestyle and are very rarely encountered on the soil surface. Interestingly, these tiny snakes managed to form a rather interesting symbiosis with owls.
These birds catch blind snakes and bring them to burrows, in which they raise their chicks. The owls are unable to cope with the shell of the blind snake, and they abandon them. Then the reptile begins to hunt insects that swarm in the burrows. Scientific research shows that it is in such burrows that the healthiest owl chicks grow up.
The snake with the best thermoregulation
The snake with the most developed thermoregulatory qualities is the hieroglyphic python. This snake is distributed throughout the African continent. As you know, snakes are cold-blooded animals, and their body temperature practically does not differ from the temperature environment. However, when the female hieroglyphic python lays eggs, or rather immediately after, she, laying in a spiral, wraps herself around them and warms her offspring with the warmth of her body. Moreover, the body temperature of the mother snake at this time exceeds the ambient temperature by as much as seven degrees, which is a lot for a cold-blooded snake.
The most poisonous land snake
The most poisonous snake among those that live on the land surface is the taipan. Moreover, this point is made not only by laboratory research, during which a thorough analysis of the venom of various snakes was carried out, but also bleak statistics. According to it, from fifty to eighty percent of people who are bitten by these snakes die if health care will not be provided to them as soon as possible.
The taipan is one of the most venomous land snakes in the world. The most poisonous Russian snake
There are two most poisonous snakes in Russia. These two competitors are cobra and viper. Previously, from the bites of these snakes, twenty to thirty percent of all those bitten died. Currently, thanks to the developments of pharmacists who have created quite effective anti-snake serums, the mortality rate among victims of bites has noticeably decreased and now it does not exceed one or two percent.
The world's fastest venomous snake
The fastest venomous snake in the world is the mamba. These arboreal poisonous snakes live in sub-Saharan Africa and prefer to choose piles of stones or abandoned burrows of other animals for their habitat. Their characteristic feature is that they do not limit themselves to one bite and tend to carry out a series of repeated bites, thereby increasing the concentration of venom in the victim’s body.
If a person who is bitten by a mamba does not take the antidote as soon as possible, he will most likely die. Moreover, the least chance of survival is if the bite hits a vein. Then there are only a few minutes left to take the antidote. And if it was not at hand, then... Now add to this the highest speed qualities of the mamba and it will become clear to everyone what powerful killers snakes of this species are.
Scientists have recorded that moving on the ground, the mamba is capable of reaching speeds of over eleven kilometers per hour. As for such a species as the black mamba, in short stretches and on flat terrain, it is capable of reaching speeds of up to twenty kilometers per hour, which is an absolute snake record! But this is on the ground, and among the branches it is even more swift. It is almost impossible for a person, especially in tree thickets, to escape from a mamba. At the same time, these snakes are distinguished by their aggressive nature and often attack first.
Surprisingly, in Africa they live not only in fields and forests, but even in populated areas and houses where mamba are most likely attracted by rodents. The venom of this snake is one of the most powerful, which, combined with the qualities described above, made the mamba the most feared snake on the African continent.
The heaviest snake in the world
Such a heavyweight was a tiger python named Baby. This giant was weighed on November 20, 1998, and the scales showed a weight of 182.5 kilograms. This twenty-five-year-old female was 8.22 meters long and 71.1 centimeters thick.
The heaviest among poisonous snakes
Apparently, the heaviest venomous snake is the diamondback rattlesnake, which lives in the southeastern United States. On average, these snakes have a length from one and a half meters to one hundred and eighty centimeters, and weigh 5.5-6.8 kilograms. The heaviest recorded diamondback rattlesnake weighed 15 kilograms and had a length of 2.36 meters.
Oldest snake
Most old snake is an ordinary boa constrictor named Popeye, who died at the Philadelphia Zoo on April 15, 1977. Popeye lived forty years, three months and fourteen days.
The thinnest snake in Europe
The thinnest European snake is the olive snake. This snake lives mainly on the territory of the Balkan Peninsula. It belongs to the colubrid family and is therefore not poisonous.
Australia's largest snake
Most large snake Australian continent is the amethyst python, whose length is about eight and a half meters.
The amethyst python is the largest snake on the Australian continent. The most common of snakes
The common viper has the largest range among all other snakes living on land. This snake is common in the Eastern and Central Asia, as well as in Central, Western and Northern Europe (including the Scandinavian Peninsula and the British Isles).
The thinnest snake
The thinnest snake in the world is the common belted snake. Its thickness is simply amazing: with a body length of about two meters, its thickness is approximately equal to the thickness of a pencil.
Longest snake fast ever
A case in which a snake went longer than ever without food once occurred in a zoo. Then the adult anaconda refused food for five hundred days. And during a special experiment, the habu viper snake was able to live without food for three years and three months. At the same time, the experimental reptile lost 60.9 percent own weight. On this moment this is the longest hunger strike not only among snakes, but among all vertebrates.
Longest snake ever refuses water
It is common for snakes to for a long time do without water. For example, in one of the experiments that was carried out on the king cobra, this naturally extremely moisture-loving snake was able to live without water for five whole years.
The most populated place with poisonous snakes
Nine of the ten most poisonous snakes in the world live in Australia! Among them, the most poisonous land taipan, the eastern brown snake, the common taipan and tiger snake. The last three snakes occupy the second, third and fourth lines of the venomous rating.
Animal with the most vertebrae
Currently the most big amount vertebrae are located by snakes. According to scientists, the record set has not yet been surpassed giant snake Archaeophis proavus – 565 vertebrae!
The most sensitive snakes to temperature measurements
Humanity has been improving its instruments for measuring temperature for about four centuries, but compared to some living thermometers, they look primitive. Rattlesnake has thermoreceptors with which it can detect temperature changes of 1/300 degrees Celsius. Boas can detect temperature changes of a fraction of a degree in 35 milliseconds.
The most accurate snake
When attacking prey, ringals living in South Africa and India demonstrate the greatest accuracy. From a five-meter distance, the ringal is capable of “shooting” a stream of deadly poison directly into the eyes of an animal or person. The venom firing range of the African spitting cobra is only slightly less. Each spit contains four milligrams of poison. At the same time, the snake strives to make not just one spit, but a whole series. There are series of up to thirty spitting in a row.
Northernmost snake
Reptiles are excellently equipped for life on land, but are almost never found in the Arctic Circle with the exception of two species - the viviparous lizard and common viper. However, in the Arctic, more than 0.5 degrees N latitude. they don't come in.
If you find an error, please highlight a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.
To rightfully bear the title “The Largest Snake,” it is necessary to amaze herpetologists with a harmonious combination of two key parameters - solid mass and outstanding length of the slippery body. Let's talk about the gigantic reptiles included in the top 10.
Reticulated python
Considered to be the longest snake in the world globe, inhabiting primarily South and Southeast Asia. The author of the work “Giant Snakes and Terrible Lizards,” the famous Swedish explorer Ralf Blomberg, describes a specimen just under 10 meters long.
In captivity, the largest representative of the species, a female specimen named Samantha (originally from Borneo), grew to 7.5 m, surprising visitors to the Bronx Zoo in New York with its size. She died there in 2002.
In their natural habitat, reticulated pythons grow to 8 meters or more. In this they are helped by a varied menu consisting of vertebrates such as monkeys, birds, small ungulates, reptiles, rodents and predatory civets.
This is interesting! Sometimes included in its menu bats, catching them in flight, for which it clings with its tail to the protruding parts of the walls and roof of the cave.
The pythons also eat unwary domestic animals for lunch: dogs, birds, goats and pigs. The most favorite dish- young goats and piglets weighing 10-15 kg, although a precedent has been recorded for the absorption of pigs weighing more than 60 kg.
This snake (lat. Eunectes murinus) from the subfamily of boas has many names: common anaconda, giant anaconda and green anaconda. But it is often called in the old fashioned way - a water boa constrictor, given the passion for the water element. The animal prefers calm rivers, lakes and creeks with weak currents in the Orinoco and Amazon basins.
The anaconda is considered the most impressive snake on the planet, confirming this opinion with a well-known fact: a reptile measuring 5.21 m long (without a tail) and weighing 97.5 kg was caught in Venezuela. By the way, it was a female. Male water boas do not claim to be record holders.
Despite the fact that the snake lives in water, fish is not included in the list of its favorite foods. Typically, the boa constrictor preys on waterfowl, caimans, capybaras, iguanas, agoutis, peccaries, and other small/medium-sized mammals and reptiles.
Anaconda does not disdain lizards, turtles and snakes. There is a known case in which a water boa constrictor strangled and swallowed a 2.5-meter-long python.
Snake eater (ophiophagus hannah) is exactly how the name is translated from Latin, which was awarded to the cobra by scientists who noticed its passion for eating other snakes, including extremely poisonous ones.
The largest poisonous reptile has another name - hamadryads. These creatures, which grow throughout their entire life (30 years), infest the tropical forests of India, Indonesia, Pakistan and the Philippines.
The longest snake of the species was captured in 1937 in Malaysia and transported to London Zoo. Here it was measured, documenting its length as 5.71 m. They say that in nature there are longer specimens crawling, although most adult cobras fit within an interval of 3-4 meters.
To the credit of the king cobra, it should be noted that it is not the most poisonous and is also quite patient: a person needs to be at the level of its eyes, and without making sudden movements, hold its gaze. They say that after a few minutes the cobra calmly leaves the place of the unexpected meeting.
Hieroglyphic python
One of the four largest snakes on the planet, demonstrating in some cases a decent weight (about 100 kg) and good length (over 6 m).
Average individuals do not grow larger than 4 m 80 cm and their weight is also not surprising, gaining from 44 to 55 kg at maturity.
This is interesting! The slenderness of the body is strangely combined with its massiveness, which, however, does not prevent the reptile from climbing trees well at night and swimming well.
Hieroglyphic (rock) pythons live in savannas, tropical and subtropical forests Africa.
Like all pythons, it can go hungry for a very long time. In captivity, it lives up to 25 years. The reptile is not poisonous, but exhibits outbursts of uncontrollable anger that are dangerous to humans. In 2002, a ten-year-old boy from South Africa, which the snake simply swallowed.
Rock pythons do not hesitate to attack leopards, Nile crocodiles, warthogs and black-footed antelopes. But the main food for snakes are rodents, reptiles and birds.
Dark tiger python
In this non-venomous species, the females are more impressive than the males. The average size reptile does not exceed 3.7 meters, although some individuals stretch up to 5 or more.
Animal range - Eastern India, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Cambodia, southern China from the island. Hainan, Indochina. Thanks to humans, the dark tiger python entered Florida (USA).
A dark python that lived not so long ago in the American Snake Safari Park (Illinois) was a record size. The length of this enclosure resident named Baby was 5.74 m.
The dark tiger python eats birds and mammals. It attacks monkeys, jackals, civets, pigeons, waterfowl, large lizards (Bengal monitor lizards), as well as rodents, including crested porcupines.
The python often has livestock and poultry on its table: large reptiles easily kill and eat small pigs, deer and goats.
Light tiger python
Subspecies of tiger python. It is also called the Indian python, and in Latin - python molurus molurus. Different from its own close relative python molurus bivittatus (dark tiger python) primarily due to its dimensions: they are less impressive. Thus, the largest Indian pythons do not grow more than five meters. There are other signs characteristic of this snake:
- light inclusions in the middle of the spots decorating the sides of the body;
- pinkish or reddish tint of light stripes running on the side of the head;
- a blurred (in its front part) diamond-shaped pattern on the head;
- lighter (compared to dark python) color with a predominance of brown, yellow-brown, red-brown and gray-brown tones.
The light tiger python inhabits the forests of India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Bhutan.
Amethyst Python
This representative of the snake kingdom is protected by Australian law. The largest snake on the Australian continent, which includes the amethyst python, reaches almost 8.5 meters in adulthood and eats up to 30 kg.
On average, a snake’s height does not exceed 3 m 50 cm. Among its relatives, pythons, it stands out for its symmetrical and noticeably large scutes located on the upper zone of the head.
A serpentologist will understand that this is an amethyst python by the peculiar coloring of its scales:
- olive-brown or yellow-olive color dominates, complemented by a rainbow tint;
- clearly defined black/brown stripes across the body;
- on the back there is a clear mesh pattern formed by dark lines and light spaces.
This Australian reptile shows a gastronomic interest in small birds, lizards and small mammal. The most arrogant snakes choose their victims among bush kangaroos and marsupial cuscus.
This is interesting! Australians (especially those living in the outskirts) know that the python does not hesitate to attack their pets: from afar, the snake feels the warmth emanating from warm-blooded animals.
To protect their animals from the amethyst python, villagers place them in enclosures. Therefore, in Australia, not only parrots, chickens and rabbits are kept in cages, but also dogs and cats.
Common boa constrictor
Known to many as Boa constrictor and now has 10 subspecies, differing in color, which is directly related to the habitat. The color of the body helps the boa constrictor to camouflage itself in order to lead an isolated lifestyle, hiding from prying eyes.
In captivity, the length of this non-venomous snake ranges from 2 to 3 meters, in the wild - almost twice as much, up to 5 and a half meters. Average weight- 22-25 kg.
Boa constrictor inhabits Central and South America, as well as the Lesser Antilles, looking for dry areas located near water bodies to settle in.
The food habits of the boa constrictor are quite simple - birds, small mammals, and less often reptiles. When killing prey, the boa constrictor uses a special technique of influencing the victim’s chest, squeezing it during the exhalation phase.
This is interesting! The boa constrictor easily adapts to captivity, so it is often bred in zoos and home terrariums. A snake bite does not threaten a person.
Bushmaster
Lachesis muta or surukuku is the largest venomous snake in South America from the viper family., living up to 20 years.
Its length usually falls within the range of 2.5-3 m (with a weight of 3-5 kg), and only rare specimens grow up to 4 m. Bushmaster boasts excellent poisonous teeth, growing from 2.5 to 4 cm.
The snake prefers solitude and is quite rare, as it chooses uninhabited areas of the island of Trinidad, as well as the tropics of South and Central America.
Important! People should be afraid of the bushmaster, despite the modest mortality rates from its poison - 10-12%.
Surukuku is characterized by nocturnal activity - it waits for animals, lying motionless on the ground among the foliage. Inaction does not bother him: he is able to wait for weeks for a potential victim - a bird, lizard, rodent or... another snake.
Dendroaspis polylepis is a venomous African reptile found in the woodlands/savannas of the east, south and center of the continent. Spends most of its leisure time on the ground, occasionally crawling (to warm itself) into trees and bushes.
Compared to its relatives from the asp family, the black mamba stands out for having the longest poisonous teeth (22-23 mm). These teeth help her effectively inject poison that kills elephant leapers, bats, hyraxes, rodents, galagos, as well as other snakes, lizards, birds and termites.
This is interesting! The most toxic snake on the planet loves to hunt during daylight hours, biting into its prey several times until it finally freezes. It takes more than a day to digest.
Come visit us, it's interesting! :-)
For most people, snakes are disgusting animals that inspire nothing but fear and horror, as well as the desire to immediately run away. This is explained very simply: almost all snakes are predators, and many of them are poisonous. That is why people strongly associate such animals with danger and other synonyms. Of course, among us there are also such originals who love to tinker with snakes - they keep them at home, they love to look at them in terrariums. IN oriental symbols, for example, the snake does not represent danger at all, but wisdom, the ability to flexibly relate to different situations. This property, as is commonly believed, is possessed by all people born in the year of the snake - they are savvy, cunning, resourceful and know how to find a way out of any seemingly hopeless situation.
The largest snakes
We know that the size of a snake can be different - these original animals, which have no legs, but only a torso, tail and head, which smoothly flow into one another, are both large and small. However, the most popular request on the Internet today is largest snake in the world - photo, and for good reason: such individuals really look like fairy-tale monsters, capable of absorbing anything and everything. Few people know, for example, that an ordinary adult reticulated python can easily accommodate not only a calf, but also a whole cow. But first things first.
For the entire existence of our planet biggest snake in the world lived more than sixty million years ago during a period called the Paleocene. This long giant is called today by scientists Titanoboa cerrejonensis: it reached more than fifteen meters in length and weighed more than one ton, and its thickness reached one meter.
In Colombia near Carrejon, the remains of this terrible species were found in a coal mine under the leadership of Jonathan Blosch - among other fossil parts that belonged to other vertebrate animals of the Paleocene era. The excavations showed truly stunning results; This event was sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution and the University of Florida Tropical History Museum.
Titanoboa lived in the tropics, preferred places with temperatures up to 30-35 degrees, which had a very favorable effect on its growth - of course, subject to the availability of food. Interestingly, to date, this is the only fossil discovered in South America and previously lived in the period 60-55 million years BC. This period characterized by the fact that there were no longer dinosaurs here - they died out ten million years earlier.
Such large sizes boa achieved thanks to warm climate, which was practically on our entire planet in those days. In the photographs you can see Jonathan himself, showing part of his spine huge snake, a schematic comparison of the animal with a modern bus, as well as the bones of a living anaconda and the remains of a boa located nearby.
This applies to archaeology; as for really existing world, biggest snake in the world today is reticulated python, found primarily in Asia: Bangladesh, Thailand, Burma, Vietnam, Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia, the Philippines and the Nicobar Islands. The largest individuals of this species reach ten meters, even more; average - four to eight meters. This animal received this name for its beautiful coloring, representing a complex mesh pattern in the form of diamond-shaped light spots and triangular, interconnected dark spots. The first ones are located in the middle of the back, and the second ones are located on the sides. The reticulated python's head is light, and its scales have a strong iridescent tint.
These snakes prefer to settle not only in tropical forests, preferring humid climate and excellent climbing trees there, but also on mountain slopes. In Java, for example, some individuals have been found at altitudes of up to 1200 meters above sea level, high in the mountains. The python swims well, and is found even in the open sea. The main danger of the reticulated python is that it does not avoid human settlements, it hunts mainly at night or at dusk, spending the day in all kinds of shelters.
The python is a non-venomous predatory snake that hunts a wide variety of vertebrates: monkeys, rodents, birds, reptiles, domestic animals and even people. There are known cases when such a predator managed to swallow a female Malayan bear, which weighed 23 kilograms; There have been cases of pythons eating 60-kilogram pigs. The python is even capable of catching bats: it catches them right during the flight, having previously caught its tail on a ledge in the cave where they live. Typically, these representatives of snakes first strangle their prey with the help of an incredibly strong body, and then swallow them whole thanks to their highly stretchable mouth - in other words, they put it on the victim like a stocking.
The largest snake in the world is a python, which was caught in Indonesia. It weighs as much 450 kilograms, and its length is almost 15 meters.
Today it is biggest snake in the world. Hunters caught this python on the island of Sumatra, or rather, in the jungle, in the western part of the island. The owner no longer wanted to keep such a monster, so he sold it to a nature reserve. Here the python was given the name " Guihua».
Visitors can watch a python hunt, but this spectacle is not for the faint of heart, as it is very scary. As you know, it takes a python very little time to completely swallow an adult. As for scientists, they unanimously claim that they have never before seen snakes whose size was at least approximately the same as that of this python. "Guihua" can easily be swallowed by a medium-sized cow, after which it will not need to eat for several months.
Of all the snake variety, pythons are most often chosen for home care. However, despite the comfortable conditions and the uncomplaining indulgence of the owner to all the whims of the ward, there is no need to talk about the loyal attitude of the reptile. Although it is not poisonous, it is a threat to human life represents its massive long body, which it loves to wrap around something. The features of caring for the largest python in the world will be discussed further.
Description of the largest python - reticulated
Modern zoology knows more than 3,000 species of snakes, among which reticulated pythons are considered real giants. One of the representatives of this large family was included in the Guinness Book of Records. The record holder lives in one of the Japanese zoos; weighing 2 centners, his body length is 12 meters and 20 centimeters.
Did you know? The most dangerous continent for its reptile population is Australia, home to 9 out of 10 deadly venomous land snakes on the planet. We are talking about varieties of taipans, as well as oriental brown snakes, black mambas and sand ephas.
Despite the non-venomous nature and popularity of reticulated pythons among snake keepers, experts rank them among the most dangerous pet snakes for humans. The fact is that even a four-meter reptile can easily strangle its owner. 
These reptiles do not shy away from human settlements in their habitat. On the contrary, they appear there quite often in order to steal sheep, dogs, pigs and other domesticated animals. It is believed that the larger the python, the larger its prey should be.
Contemporaries have long debunked the myths spread by newspapermen during wartimes about missing soldiers being found in the stomach of a giant snake that lived in the jungles of Burma. Scientists are adamant that neither boa constrictors nor pythons will hunt people because of their wide humerus bones, which prevent the killer from swallowing his victim, creating hellish discomfort. However, history has included several completely reliable cases of reticulated pythons attacking people. Moreover, each time the victims were fragile women, children and teenagers. 
For the sake of fairness, we note that in most cases, meetings with humans ended tragically for reptiles. In the villages where their visits became part of Everyday life, the local population got used to hunting giants, and the meat and skin of reticulated pythons were highly valued on the world market.
Did you know? In the Middle Ages, Europeans executed criminals by throwing them into a snake-infested pit. As a result, the punished person died in agony from numerous reptile bites.
Body characteristics
All snakes are prone to rapid growth. Over the course of a year, their body can increase by a meter. And in reticulated pythons, the processes of physiological development occur in a special way. That is why these reptiles are officially recognized as the longest representatives of the fauna of the globe.
In addition to their impressive size, their sure sign is the specific mesh pattern on the scaly skin and complex colors, including multifaceted interweaving of dark rhombuses, triangles and shapeless light spots. It is characteristic that the head of these creatures is always light, and the scales strongly reflect all the colors of the rainbow. 
With their appearance and huge body, they terrified many, which explains a certain hyperbolization of the inherent this species reptile properties in fiction and journalistic literature. For example, often mentioned in Philippine media mass media The fourteen-meter snake, which weighed almost half a ton, actually turned out to be more than 2 times smaller.
Many naturalists have written about how long reticulated pythons are, often keeping silent about the sources on which their conclusions were based. These included Ralf Blomberg, the popular author of the Swedish book “Giant Snakes and Terrible Lizards.” Therefore, scientists decided to reliably investigate this aspect and for this purpose, in the south of Sumatra, as well as in Flores, Indonesia and Borneo, they carried out a number of numerous measurements of reticulated pythons. 
As a result of the work carried out, it was concluded that the smallest mature snake growing in wildlife, cannot be less than 4 meters. Larger specimens are characterized by a body length of 7–7.5 m and a weight of 65–170 kg. One-year-old pythons, as a rule, grow to one and a half meters in length.
Did you know? Snakes receive information about what is happening in the outside world with the help of their protruding tongue, so such gestures should not be regarded as signs of aggression.
Movement speed and strength
In many adventure films and books, huge killer snakes are endowed with extraordinary properties for lightning-fast movement, but in real life with them everything is completely different. If the giant expresses a desire to crawl for an hour with maximum speed, then over the entire period he will be able to cover only 1.5–2 kilometers. This property makes lazy pythons inferior to their smaller counterparts. 
Moreover, unlike them, giant snakes move without writhing their whole body, but by activating the abdominal muscles, which causes the scales to separate from the fixed ribs. If you look closely, as it moves, it walks back and forth, reminiscent of excavator scoops. At such a low speed, the netted giant will never be able to overtake a running person.
Pythons are deaf and mute and have poor vision. They do not react at all to changes in light, and in order to see what is close in front of them, they constantly move their heads back and forth. But on the other hand, these snakes accurately recognize the slightest vibrations in the soil and sense the temperature change provoked by warm-blooded animals at a distance of half a meter. These qualities are enough to pounce on the victim, wrap him tightly around his huge body and strangle him. Only after this will the python begin its meal, swallowing the lifeless body whole.
It is characteristic that he is characterized by such a force of muscle contractions that even bones cannot withstand it large predators. For example, facts were recorded when the reptile feasted on a leopard, bear, and bull.
Did you know? Snakes have a very unique body structure. Despite their increased activity and flexibility, some species have 300 pairs of ribs. In addition, in all such reptiles the heart can slide freely in the internal space, and the left part of the lungs is always significantly larger in size than the right.
Habitat
There are no snakes except in Antarctica, but reticulated pythons prefer the mild climate of the tropics. Their homeland is all of Southeast Asia. Moreover, the range of reptiles is very extended, occupying the territory from the Indian Peninsula to Indonesia, the Nicobar Islands and the Philippines. 
Compared to other relatives, reticulated reptiles have the most extensive habitat. However, despite this, the population of this type of snake is inexorably declining every year. Researchers associate this with humanity’s merciless hunt for valuable meat and leather. For your information, annual CITES export quotas for python skins average around 437,500 specimens. This means that it is much easier to take 10 dead snakes out of the country than to issue documents for one living one.
In the wild, reticulated reptiles prefer land, but this does not mean that they avoid bodies of water. These huge creatures are good swimmers and climb trees with ease. You can even meet the Asian giant on the open sea. Most of all they like a humid forest climate, and they can also live in open forests and on mountain slopes. 
Moreover, they even climb to heights of up to 1200 meters. They love moisture, so coastal forests are considered ideal for living.
Important! To save pet snake from obesity, experts advise feeding it no more than 2 times a week and monitoring the filling of the drinking bowl. After all, even in natural conditions, without food, a pet can survive from several months to 2 years without harm to its health, and the lack of water will kill it already on the third day.
How to hunt and what to eat
During the day, pythons prefer to hide in a secluded place and lie motionless. It is difficult to judge whether they are sleeping or not, because their eyes are always open. And at night the hungry reptile begins to hunt. Moreover, he always chooses a strong and healthy victim. Often this is:
- birds (including domestic birds);
- rodents;
- reptiles (including crocodiles);
- civets;
- ungulates (goats, sheep, deer, pigs);
- mammals (monkeys, kangaroos, dogs and even leopards).
The appetite of this species of snake is very good. Having swallowed their prey whole, they then do not eat anything until it is completely digested. Depending on the amount eaten, this process can take up to a year. For a moderately well-fed individual, about 10–15 kg of the weight of the strangled animal is required. But it is not uncommon for reptiles in their range to steal 60-kilogram pigs from the local population. Also, pythons often in caves, where they hide for the day, cling to uneven ceilings with their tails and catch bats right in the air. But such food is most likely the lot of small individuals. The giant snake needs bigger prey.
It is characteristic that pythons often use the tip of their tail as bait. By moving them, they imitate a worm. Sometimes during a fight, victims bite the attacker, but even the venom of deadly snakes does not affect him.
Reproduction
Under natural conditions in reticulated reptiles mating season starts annually (although two-year breaks are possible) after hibernation, when females actively secrete pheromones. These substances attract males, as a result of which a living ball of males soon forms near her. 
It is characteristic that, due to the physiological structure of the body, they are characterized by paired genital organs located on opposite sides of the body. During mating, the one closest to the female is used. After mating, the snake lays from 10 to hundreds of eggs, wraps its body around them, warming the future offspring. His further care is provided solely by his mother.
Incubation period laying lasts for 88 days. But at the same time, a stable air temperature at +31...+32 °C and humidity not lower than 70% are important. During all this time, the female does not leave the nest for a minute. In the heat, she weakens the strength of their girth for ventilation, and in the cold she begins to shiver in order to warm her. After the allotted time, absolutely independent snakes up to 60 cm long are born. Among them there are also identical twins. In 3 years, sexually mature successors of the genus grow from the brood, and after another year they reach their maximum length. How many meters their body will extend largely depends on their genetic characteristics and living conditions.
Features of keeping at home
Decide on pet in the form of a reptile only desperate daredevils can. After all, keeping these representatives of the fauna means constant danger and risk to one’s own life. Let us consider in detail what reptile lovers need to know and how to provide comfort to their ward. 
Before buying a giant snake, the breeder needs to acquire a durable terrarium with strong, reliable walls and a high-quality lock. A spacious glass structure of cubic or horizontal types is ideal for these purposes. And in order to make its future tenant comfortable, follow these rules:
Feeding
After the giant appears in the house for the first time, it needs to be fed with mice and rats every week. Moreover, such food must be supplied to the predator’s table alive, so that its hunting instincts are not dulled. Provide feedings at the same time in moderate portions and do not overfeed your pet. Keep in mind that during the period of molting, as well as sexual activity, radical changes in the nutritional diet are possible. 
It is possible to increase portions and change the usual menu for a ward only after he reaches the age of three. Then the adult python can be offered other reptiles and warm-blooded animals. But don’t rush to switch your silent friend to large food. After all, his requests will increase in proportion to the growth of body length.
For a small python that has grown to 90 cm, half a rat is enough, and when its body increases to 1.2 m, the portion can be doubled. After a meal, it is extremely undesirable to disturb the reptile so that it does not regurgitate. Also, you should not pick up a hungry snake or after contact with food. Otherwise, he will begin to consider his owner as a hearty dinner.
According to experts, it is enough for reticulated pythons to eat once at intervals of 10-14 days. Strict control over the food eaten will limit the growth of the pet, because otherwise, in order to feed it, the breeder will need a fortune.
Important! Never pick up a snake after holding a rodent, otherwise you may be mistaken for food.
Individuals whose length has reached 2 m are recommended to be switched to feed of animal origin, including freezing. This will help lull the predator's feeding instincts. However, always make sure that only fresh food gets into the terrarium. Otherwise, the risks of an eating disorder in your pet and poisoning increase. The first sign of a malfunction in the snake's gastrointestinal tract is belching of undigested dinner. Remember that pathogenic microbes can be found in frozen preparations, so buy ingredients for the reptile menu only in trusted places and carefully monitor their quality. In addition, periodic supplements in the form of vitamin and mineral complexes will be very useful for captive snakes. 
Daily and seasonal rhythms
For the comfort of the pet, it is important to provide in the terrarium correct work heating and lighting fixtures, since in captivity a reptile must also live according to the rules of natural rhythms. This means that the maximum daylight hours are limited to 12 hours, as is the daytime heating period for the terrarium.
Experienced breeders advise installing UV lamps with UVB 4-7% in the snake's abode, which combine the function of lighting and irradiation. As an alternative, an erythema device is suitable, which it is advisable to turn on three times a day for 15 minutes. Also, snake housing can be irradiated with household heaters such as UFO, placing them at a one and a half meter distance from the structure.
In summer, it is very advisable to take the kite to a sunny area in calm weather. It is important that the air temperature outside is not lower than +25 °C. Everything else seasonal rhythm for reticulated pythons it does not matter much. It only needs to be remembered when home breeding reptiles. In this case, preparation should begin with a gradual three-week reduction in daylight hours starting in August. 
Under artificial conditions, the snake will be ready for hibernation only after you have accustomed it to a 4-hour daylight hours and in the complete absence of feeding, underfloor heating and a reservoir. The fact is that in most snake species, food digestion processes stop when the temperature drops to +12 °C. After that, the animals are transplanted into a fabric bag and sent to the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator, where the temperature fluctuates within +10 ° C. In such conditions, the snake can stay from 2 weeks to one and a half months. After that, it is returned back to the terrarium.
Important! Hibernation in pythons it begins 3 weeks after complete digestion of previously eaten food. This is very important point, because chilled exotic food with food remains in the stomach is subject to death. To prevent this from happening, keep the reptile at room temperature for about a week, turning off the terrarium heating.
Precautions
Taking into account the fact that it is not easy to deal with exotic pet, and with an unpredictable giant, having decided on such a “friend”, you should always be on guard. Experienced snake keepers share recommendations, the strict implementation of which will prevent attacks from a domestic python:
Important! Cleaning the terrarium should be done daily, clearing it of snake excrement and food residues. It is recommended to replace the litter once every 2 months.
The largest pythons on the planet amaze not only with the size of their body, but also with their strength. Although they are considered non-venomous, they continue to be aggressive killer predators, and the slightest wrong movement can kill the owner. We hope our article helped you learn more about these Asian exotics and, by getting to know them closely, prevent mortality.
Loading...
