Biggest Snake in the World

1. Biggest Snake in the World Snakes can grow to colossal sizes, although some reports have long been exaggerated. The largest snakes in the world belong to the python and boa families. Which family contains the biggest depends on whether you are measuring these reptiles by weight or length. While man-eating snakes are exceptionally rare (although it has been known to happen), there are some truly huge species slithering about on our planet. What is the longest snake in the world? The reticulated python (Malayopython reticulatus) is the longest snake in the world, regularly reaching over 6.25 metres in length. The longest reticulated python ever recorded was found in 1912 and measured in at a staggering 10 metres - that's more than half the length of a bowling lane and makes this snake longer than a giraffe is tall. Reticulated pythons live in southeast Asia and while they are typically found in rainforests, woodland and grasslands, their habitat preference seems to depend on their location. In Myanmar, these non-venomous snakes have only been found in pristine forest, whereas in Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysian Borneo they've also been recorded in sewers. Reticulated pythons are known to climb trees by firmly wrapping their bodies around the trunks and using muscular upward force.

2. The longest and heaviest snake to ever be held in captivity was a female reticulated python called Medusa. Held in the USA, Medusa reached 7.67 metres long and weighed 158.8 kilograms. Green anacondas (Eunectes murinus) are also exceptionally long snakes. But they have also been subject to exaggerated length measurements in the past, with snakes of over 24 metres allegedly sighted. In reality, the green anaconda rarely exceeds 6.25 metres. The longest venomous snake The king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) is the world's longest venomous snake. In 1937, a 5.54-metre-long king cobra was found in Negeri Sembilan state on the Malay Peninsula. Captured and kept at London Zoo, it eventually grew to 5.71 metres before being killed at the outbreak of the Second World War, to avoid putting the public in danger should the zoo be bombed and the snake escape. Over five metres is unusual for king cobras, although even their average length of 3.7-4.6 metres makes them large animals. These snakes best show off their length when they're feeling defensive or need to see above tall grass or bushes. They will raise the front of their body up to about one metre off the ground and can even chase threats while in this posture. As an additional scare tactic, they will hiss and flatten their neck ribs into a hood, giving them the classic cobra shape. The longest sea snake

3. Growing up to 2.75 metres long, the yellow sea snake (Hydrophis spiralis) is the longest species of sea snake. Most specimens that have been collected are less than two metres long, however. The yellow sea snake lives in the northern Indian Ocean and around parts of southeast Asia, as well as being seen near New Caledonia in the southwest Pacific Ocean. Relatively little is known about these sea snakes. There have been records of the species at up to 50 metres below the surface and it is generally found over muddy sandy bottoms, feeding on eels.