What is the largest snake in the world?

1 of 2

2 of 2

Reticulated pythons and green anacondas are the largest living snakes in the world, but the answer to “What is the largest snake in the world?” depends on what you’re looking for: the longest snake alive, the heaviest snake alive, the longest or heaviest snake to ever have existed, or the species whose individuals frequently rank among the world’s longest or heaviest. In any case, the colossal 40–80-foot monsters depicted in Hollywood movies are—breathe easy—exaggerated, at least in the present day.

Reticulated pythons (Malayopython reticulatus), found in the tropical forests of Indonesia, the Philippines, and other parts of Southeast Asia, are known for being the longest living snakes in the world. Although the largest recorded individual measured 10 meters (32.8 feet) in length and was found in Indonesia in 1912, questions have been raised about the lack of evidence for this sighting. The longest known reticulated pythons measure between 7 and 8 meters (22.9 and 26.2 feet) in length, but their status has been challenged by the green anaconda (Eunectes species), native to South America. Although green anacondas only occasionally rival reticulated pythons in length, they regularly exceed reticulated pythons in weight and girth. Reports suggest that the longest green anaconda was one shot in Brazil in 1960 that measured 8.5 meters (27.7 feet) long, easily surpassing the average length of the reticulated python (3.4 meters, or 11 feet). Green anacondas can weigh as much as 250 kg (about 550 pounds)—almost twice as much as a reticulated python!

Reticulated pythons and green anacondas do not use venom to kill their prey. Bring in the venom factor, and the king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah)—native to the forests of India through Southeast Asia to the Philippines and Indonesia—takes the crown for the longest venomous snake. The average king cobra is about 3.6–4.5 meters (12–15 feet) long, although individuals longer than 5.5 meters (18 feet) have been recorded. In fact, a specimen found in the Malay Peninsula in 1937 and kept in the London Zoo had grown so massive at 5.7 meters (18.7 feet) long that, when World War II broke out, it was deemed safer to kill it than risk the highly venomous snake escaping in the event of a bombing.

Discover how ordinary objects work, and expand your understanding of the familiar.

SIGN UP

" height="20" alt="HEW Logo">

Thank you for signing up!"

Back to homepage

By clicking "Sign Up", you consent to the Britannica Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

The following table lists some record-setting specimens. A specimen of Titanoboa (Titanoboa cerrejonensis), a prehistoric snake that lived about 60 million years ago, would have weighed roughly as much as an adult female giraffe. In 2024 fossils of another giant snake, Vasuki indicus, were discovered in Gujarat, India. Estimated to measure about 11–15 meters (36–49.2 feet) in length, this prehistoric snake is thought to have existed some 88 million years ago.