10 longest snakes in the world

Review of the best according to the editorial board. On the selection criteria. This material is subjective, does not constitute advertising and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.

Snakes are not exactly the kind of creatures that are customary to admire and admire. Especially the fear of these reptiles is emphasized by Hollywood films of category B, where travelers wandering through the jungle are necessarily attacked by a huge anaconda, about 20 meters in length, and actively bites on various protruding parts of the body.

In reality, everything is much more modest. Of course, there are snakes that can shock and shock with their length. For example, a 9.75-meter reticulated python is included in the Guinness Book of Records! If he could stand on his tail, then his head would dangle at the level of the windows of the third floor.

However, other snakes are able to surprise with their length. Some even in 'our latitudes' are found (and it would be better if they did not meet). And we have compiled a ranking of the 10 longest snakes in the world.

An overview of the longest snakes in the world

Nomination	a place	name	Maximum length
Rating of the longest snakes in the world – photos, names with descriptions	10	Gyurza (up to 1.9 m)	1.9 M.
	9	Eastern brown snake (up to 2 m)	2 M.
	8	Bushmaster (up to 4 m)	4 M.
	7	Black mamba (up to 4 m)	4 M.
	6	Common boa constrictor (up to 4 m)	4 M.
	5	Indian (light brindle) python (up to 5 m)	5 M.
	4	King cobra (up to 5.71 m)	5.71 M.
	3	Burmese (dark brindle) python (up to 5.74 m)	5.74 M.
	2	Anaconda (up to 6.7 m)	6.7 M.
	1	Reticulated python (up to 9.75 m)	9.75 M.

10th place: Gyurza (up to 1.9 m)

Rating: 4.1

Poisonous viper belongs to the family of giant vipers and is the longest representative of its kind. In fact, this is one of the largest snakes in the territory of the post-Soviet republics. Found in Transcaucasia, Azerbaijan and Armenia.

However, the gyurza's love for arid climates has led to the fact that this snake is the most widespread in North-West Africa. So the chance to meet her when going on vacation to Georgia is practically zero.

The danger of gyurza for humans was noticed by the ancient Persians, who invented its name. It is translated from the local language as 'iron club'. The venom of this reptile is the most toxic in its family, therefore, after a bite, immediate medical attention is required. Given the habitat of this reptile, few survive to see a doctor. On the other hand, it is gyurza that is most often bred in serpentariums and 'milked', since highly effective medical and diagnostic tools are obtained from its poison.

9th place: Eastern brown snake (up to 2 m)

Rating: 4.2

The eastern brown snake, also called the netted snake, is a member of the snake family and is one of its largest representatives. And at the same time – and very poisonous. The inhabitants of Australia suffer especially strongly from this reptile, where, in principle, the fauna is very unfriendly.

The main danger of this reptile comes from behavior and diet. The snake feeds primarily on rodents and therefore tries to stay closer to human habitation, where, in its opinion, mice are found in abundance. And many more hideouts. Therefore, the reptile is very often found in barns, heaps of garbage, hayloft and other secluded places.

When meeting, the snake sharply becomes aggressive. Even 'our' vipers try to crawl away from a person, and this adder, on the contrary, rises above the ground like a cobra, sways and attacks, biting a person. The poison, consisting of neurotoxins and coagulants, spreads rather quickly throughout the body. Mortality from bites in the absence of medical care is about 20%.

Australian researchers have even issued special recommendations describing the procedure for dealing with this snake. It is supposed to immediately call for help. But it is impossible to suck out the poison, since this can complicate the selection of medicines.

8th place: Bushmaster (up to 4 m)

Rating: 4.3

The Bushmaster is the largest viper in South America. Some specimens of this highly venomous reptile can grow up to 3 meters in length. In addition, scientists report rare encounters with 4-meter reptiles.

Simultaneously with the length of the snake, teeth also grow. In 'small' specimens, they are 2.5 cm, and in large ones – 4 cm. Therefore, bites are dangerous not only because of the poison, but also due to their high trauma.

The Bushmaster knows how to 'intimidate' the victim. Despite the fact that it does not have a 'rattle', the special shape of the scales on the tail allows the snake to make a characteristic noise, simply by striking them against the trunks of plants. Therefore, walking in the jungles of Colombia or Ecuador, you should listen to the sounds of the world around you.

Despite his large size and long teeth, the bushmaster is not too dangerous for humans. Mortality from bites is up to 12%, and then in weak and sick people. This is due to the fact that the bushmaster injects quite a bit of poison – about 400 mg. Like other vipers and asps, it is largely composed of neurotoxins that have an extremely negative effect on the victim's nervous system.

7th place: Black mamba (up to 4 m)

Rating: 4.4

One of the most dangerous African snakes, the black mamba, is impressive not only in size, but also in its poisonousness. In terms of lethality, it occupies a leading position. The fact is that she very 'generously shares' the poison, injecting 10-30 lethal doses of neurotoxins into the victim.

Since the black mamba lives in areas with an extremely low level of development of medicine and science, it is very difficult to accurately determine its lethality and danger. Only isolated cases can be described. And they are not too happy. For example, there is a known death less than an hour after being bitten.

This long snake got its name not because of the dark color of the scales, as it might seem mistakenly. The mouth of the mamba is black. That is why the reptile has its name.

Interestingly, the black mamba has some very effective natural enemies. Yellow mongooses are very fond of eating this snake, and their nervous system is resistant to the action of neurotoxins. And it was from these animals that Kipling's Rikki-Tikki-Tavi was written off. However, you should not admire yellow mongooses – they tolerate tetanus and rabies. In general, South Africa is a place almost less friendly than Australia.

6th place: Common boa constrictor (up to 4 m)

Rating: 4.5

The common boa constrictor is found primarily in terrariums. It is easy to grow, it is undemanding to keeping conditions, it is enough to maintain the correct temperature and UV light index. In captivity, he feels very at ease and easily grows up to 4-4.5 meters in length.

In nature, this snake is not so long – it reaches 2-3 meters. Found mainly in South America, prefers to settle near water bodies. Like other boas, it is not poisonous, but kills the victim by suffocation, wrapping itself in rings around its body. However, it does not differ in aggressiveness, therefore even the largest specimens are completely safe for humans.

Moreover, in nature, it is man who is one of the main enemies of the ordinary boa constrictor. This snake is caught with skin and meat. The common boa constrictor has a bright, contrasting color, which makes it attractive to poachers. At the same time, the color varies depending on the habitat – the Argentine representatives are almost black, and the Brazilian ones are bright red.

5th place: Indian (light brindle) python (up to 5 m)

Rating: 4.6

The light brindle python is a subspecies of the dark python found in India, Pakistan and Bhutan. Actually, that's why it got its name. Although the snake is large, it is not poisonous, and therefore it is only impressive in size – some specimens 'swing out' up to 5 meters in length.

Various small animals, which abound in the Indian jungle, serve as food for this reptile. The python pounces on the victim, wraps it in rings and strangles it in this way. For a person, despite its impressive length, it is not dangerous – since it does not differ in aggressiveness and does not try to destroy all living things.

At one time, this python suffered greatly from poachers. It was hunted primarily for its skin with a characteristic color in light brown tones. Snake hunting is now prohibited, as is the unauthorized international trade in leather.

4th place: King Cobra (up to 5.71 m)

Rating: 4.7

The king cobra is the longest venomous snake in the world. Actually, that is why it got its name. However, it looks very impressive, so it deserves the title of 'royal': contrasting black and white coloring, a characteristic hood, an aggressive vertical stance.

Moreover, the snake is very intelligent. So, she tries to use her poison very sparingly. When confronted with a human, it usually makes 'blank' bites, because it understands that it cannot swallow this bipedal mammal. And only in infrequent cases it injects poison. Moreover, in quantities that are many times higher than the lethal dose. Death, according to observations, in some cases occurs within 15 minutes after the bite.

The main distribution area of ​​the king cobra is India and other Asian countries. In zoos, this reptile is very rare – due to aggressive behavior and poor survival in captivity. However, the longest representative of the species was found in the London Zoo, its size was 5.71 m. In nature, it usually grows up to 3-4 meters.

3rd place: Burmese (dark brindle) python (up to 5.74 m)

Rating: 4.8

The dark brindle python is one of the largest pythons in the family. The maximum length of 5.74 m was recorded from a snake named 'Baby' living in the Illinois Safari Park. In the wild, these reptiles are slightly shorter – 5-meter specimens have been recorded that weighed an impressive 75 kilograms.

The Burmese python, as the name implies, is found primarily in Myanmar, Nepal, Cambodia, as well as some Indian regions. They are deliberately trying to grow it in the US state of Florida, where it fits well into the local ecosystem.

Like the light tiger python, the dark one is not dangerous to humans and is not poisonous. The diet includes small and medium-sized mammals, which these leisurely snakes catch mainly at night. Having pounced on the victim, the reptile either immediately swallows it (if the prey is not very large), or first strangles it, wrapping itself in rings.

The reptile lives well in captivity. She can not be found not only in zoos and serpentariums, but also in private terrariums. Differs in ease of care, as well as an interesting approach to feeding. The tiger python cannot stop absorbing food, so it should be given a 'breakfast' no more than 1 time in several days. The snake reproduces well in captivity, the breeders even managed to breed several 'breeds' (morphs).

2nd place: Anaconda (up to 6.7 m)

Rating: 4.9

Anaconda is the largest of the boas. This snake is surrounded by a huge amount of rumors and exaggerations regarding its size. And the habitat – rain forests and swamps in the Amazon basin, where no human foot has really stepped – only spurs hoaxes.

According to unofficial information, it was possible to catch a snake with a length of 8.43 m; 8.53 m; 11.43 m; even 18.59 m and 24.38 m. But all this is just falsification. In 2016, biologists and herpetologists conducted a study and found that the maximum length that an anaconda can reach is 6.7 m.The largest specimens found were only a few centimeters above the 6 meters mark.

But what the anaconda definitely holds the championship among snakes is in weight. Even relatively 'short' individuals, about 5 meters long, can reach 70 kilograms. Growing up to 6 meters, they become the heaviest among reptiles.

That is why anacondas choose rain forests. It's easier to get over in eternal puddles, rivers, swampy areas when you are one of the heaviest reptiles. True, the anaconda feeds primarily on mammals and birds, especially those who come to the watering place. But on occasion, she can devour other snakes – there were cases when she ate a python at the zoo.

One of the most interesting features of the snake is that it is ovoviviparous. That is, she has eggs, but they 'mature' in the mother's womb and are deposited only in rare cases. In addition, the anaconda knows how to hibernate during periods of hunger – they usually occur during a drought, when the reservoirs where this snake lives dry up and cease to be interesting for animals coming to the watering place.

1st place: Reticulated python (up to 9.75 m)

Rating: 5.0

Officially the longest snake in the world, confirmed by the Guinness Book of Records, it is a reticulated python caught on an Indonesian island in 1912. From the mouth to the tip of the nose, it was 9.75 m.

The second place also belongs to the reticulated python. This time – a female named Samantha, kept in captivity. The measurements were carried out in 2002, and the length was also 7.5 meters.

And even the third place belongs to the reticulated python! A male named Samantha, who lived at the American Zoo Columbus, was able to grow to 7.3 meters.

In nature, however, they are not so large. After a large-scale study, which took place in the south of Sumatra, and in which thousands of snakes were measured, it was possible to establish the average size of an adult reptile – from 2 to 6 meters. The largest 'wild' specimen was a 6.95-meter female. She, however, suffered from exhaustion – after three months of hunger, her weight was only 59 kg.

In the wild, reticulated pythons are found primarily in the jungle. In acute Java, they were found in relatively high-mountain forests – 1200 meters above sea level. The snake leads a terrestrial life and swims well, therefore it is sometimes caught in the open sea.

The main part of the diet of a reptile is made up of medium and large mammals. There are cases when reticulated pythons attacked livestock (for example, goats and pigs), and also hunted dogs. Bats are often caught – right in the air, hanging from branches. It is not dangerous for people – although, in theory, they are capable of strangling, and also have an aggressive disposition – cases of collisions with a person have not been registered. In addition, reticulated pythons are often kept in terrariums, zoos and serpentariums.

---

Attention! This rating is subjective and does not constitute an advertisement and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.