Big Snakes in the World

Snakes are one of the most awe-inspiring and intimidating creatures found in the world. A mere sight of a snake sends a chill down the spine even when the snake may be a non-poisonous garden snake. There are some species of snakes in the world, considered as the heaviest, largest, biggest, most venomous, etc. which surely gives us the creeps.

Biggest Snakes in the World

The movie 'Anaconda' may have, undoubtedly, made you believe that the anaconda is one of the largest snakes in the world. In fact, today, the reticulated python is the biggest snake in the world. The Titanoboa was one of the largest snakes found in the pre-historic times. Today, it does not exist, but, several other snakes closer to this gigantic snake are found in the world.

Reticulated Python
The reticulated python, or Python reticulatus, is the world's longest snake. With an average length up to 18-20 feet, the maximum recorded length of this snake is 32 feet. Similar to all the species of python, these snakes are non-venomous, dark-colored and nocturnal. All the pythons kill their prey by coiling around it, constricting it and then swallowing it. Reticulated pythons do not attack humans but are capable of killing adult humans with their peculiar hunting style.

Green Anaconda
The green anaconda, or the Eunectes murinus, is also one of the biggest and longest snakes found in the world. It comes closer to the reticulated python, length wise as the green anaconda is 17-20 feet in length. It is the strongest and heaviest snake in the world with a record weight of 97 kg (214 lbs). Anacondas are also constrictors and non-venomous snakes usually found in the Amazon basin.

Burmese Python
The Burmese python, (Python molurus bivittatus), is a native to Asia and also one of the biggest snakes in the world. It is 12-15 feet long and the largest one is found to be 19 feet in length. The Burmese python is light in color, feeds on rats and mice in field and is non-venomous. Similarly, the African rock python is also one of the big snakes found in Africa. It is 18-20 feet long and is considered more aggressive than the other species of python. Interestingly, most of the species of python are giant snakes with the minimum length up to 10 feet.

King Cobra
The King cobra or the Ophiophagus hannah, is the largest venomous snake found today. Typically its length is 16-18 feet. King cobra snakes are deadly poisonous snakes with ability to kill its prey in a single bite. It is found in the continent of Asia, specifically in India. The King cobra is not to be confused with the ordinary cobra as the latter is much smaller in size and commonly found. The king and the ordinary cobra are easy to identify with their characteristic hood.

If you are considering having big snakes as pets, it is better to give a second thought as maintaining these snakes is definitely a troublesome business (and imagine a 20 feet creature crawling in your home)! Pythons as pets are very popular, but, you need to have thorough information about it before thinking of buying one.

Lastly, when talking about big snakes in the world, it is essential to mention the boa constrictor. Although not as large as those mentioned above, this snake can grow up to 10 feet in length. Snakes have always been considered one of the most fascinating creatures, and if you take a look at these extraordinary species, you will surely know why!