There seems to be some controversy over which snake is the largest in the world. The battle is between the Anaconda and the Asiatic Reticulated Python. The clear winner in my mind is the Anaconda. The Python holds the record of the longest snake, measuring 33 feet in overall length. However, the Anaconda is a much larger snake in weight and girth. They are both very scary, but the Anaconda is so large it looks like something from a horror movie. Found in the deep secluded jungles of South America, giant Anacondas can be found that are as big around as a large man and weigh in at 550 LBS.You may read reports of a 100 FT Anaconda or tales from the locals of 50 FT snakes in the nearby jungle. But these stories are just a myth as a snake of this magnitude has never been captured or found dead in the jungle.If you are looking forward to swimming on your next South America vacation, it would be wise to do this at the hotel pool. Anacondas spend the majority of their time hunting in the rivers and streams. They would be very difficult to spot in swamp. Their dark color acts a camouflage in the marshy waters. The Anaconda is considered to be a boa constrictor. The boa constrictor family of snakes use their body strength to coil around their prey. The victim is squeezed to death, dying from internal bleeding and massive injury. Then, like many snakes, the victim is swallowed whole. The size of the victim is of no concern to the snake as it will simply unlock its jaw to make room for dinner.The diet of the Anaconda includes fish, small alligators, crocodiles, and other snakes. They have even been known to dine on deer and jaguar. Now, an Anaconda isn’t going to outrun a deer or a jaguar; it will sneak up on its prey in stealth mode.While the Anaconda is the largest snake alive today, a team of researchers discovered a much larger fossil in the rainforest of north-east Columbia. It is estimated that the giant 42 foot long snake lived in the area 58 million years ago. The fossil of the snake is so large it reaches up to the hips of a tall man. It is estimated that the snake would have weighed in at approximately 2,500 LBS, as much as a small car.
55 Foot Snake?
Is the photograph showing a 55 foot snake found in a forest in China a hoax? It was initially posted on the website of the People’s Daily, the official China Communist Party newspaper. It claimed the snake was one of two enormous boas found by workers clearing forest for a new road. I have to question whether it was a boa at all. A reticulated python, maybe. They apparently woke up the sleeping snakes during attempts to bulldoze some mounds. Here’s how the post read:
“On the third dig, the operator found there was blood amongst the soil, and with a further dig, a dying snake appeared. At the same time, another gold coloured giant boa appeared with its mouth wide open. The driver was paralyzed with fear, while the other workers ran for their lives. By the time the workers came back, the wounded boa had died, while the other snake had disappeared. The bulldozer operator was so sick that he couldn’t even stand up.”
They claimed the digger driver was so traumatized that he suffered a heart attack on his way to hospital and later died. Now this is getting to be a bit far fetched. It also said the dead snake was 55 feet long, weighed 300kg and was estimated to be 140 years old. 140 years old is a little much for me to believe. Giant boas are not even native to the area.
The World’s Biggest Snake
What is the biggest snake? This question comes up more than any other regarding snakes. Let’s face it, people are fascinated with size. Add to that the curiosity and the mystery surrounding snakes, and you have the ever persistent question. So the answer to the question is that it depends on whether you are referring to the length of the snake or the weight. If you look in the records there is some controversy over which snake holds the world’s record for size. The dimensions that have earned the anaconda the title of king is its total body weight The sheer physical bulk of it is amazing. The other snake that competes with the anaconda for the title of World’s Biggest Snake is the Asiatic Reticulated Python. The python holds the world’s record for length of a snake, with the longest ever measured at 33 feet. Even though the longest python is longer than the record-holding anaconda, the girth of the anaconda is far bigger. Anacondas in the jungles of South America can grow as big around as a grown man! So there you have it. The anaconda is the heaviest, and the reticulated python is the longest.
Big Snake Safety
I pity the unsuspecting person who looks out the back door to see a giant python working on its tan. Big snake safety is vital. After all, large snakes are large enough to make meals of young children or pets.Under no circumstances should a large constrictor ever be allowed to roam free in a room that is occupied by humans. Even though a snake may have been around humans since its birth, it is still a wild animal, with all its natural behaviors and instincts intact. If, for whatever reason, the snake suddenly feels threatened, or if it momentarily confuses its keepers with food, it can attack suddenly and unpredictably. Here are four simple but vital rules for keeping a large boa or python:
(1) Never handle the large snake alone.
(2) Never allow a large snake to roam in a room occupied by humans.
(3) Never allow the scent of a prey animal to get on you when handling a large snake.
(4) Always keep the large snake in a securely locked escape-proof enclosure, accessible only by you.
We love snakes and want them (and you) to be safe at all times.
55 Foot Snake?
Is the photograph showing a 55 foot snake found in a forest in China a hoax? It was initially posted on the website of the People’s Daily, the official China Communist Party newspaper. It claimed the snake was one of two enormous boas found by workers clearing forest for a new road. I have to question whether it was a boa at all. A reticulated python, maybe. They apparently woke up the sleeping snakes during attempts to bulldoze some mounds. Here’s how the post read:
“On the third dig, the operator found there was blood amongst the soil, and with a further dig, a dying snake appeared. At the same time, another gold coloured giant boa appeared with its mouth wide open. The driver was paralyzed with fear, while the other workers ran for their lives. By the time the workers came back, the wounded boa had died, while the other snake had disappeared. The bulldozer operator was so sick that he couldn’t even stand up.”
They claimed the digger driver was so traumatized that he suffered a heart attack on his way to hospital and later died. Now this is getting to be a bit far fetched. It also said the dead snake was 55 feet long, weighed 300kg and was estimated to be 140 years old. 140 years old is a little much for me to believe. Giant boas are not even native to the area.
The World’s Biggest Snake
What is the biggest snake? This question comes up more than any other regarding snakes. Let’s face it, people are fascinated with size. Add to that the curiosity and the mystery surrounding snakes, and you have the ever persistent question. So the answer to the question is that it depends on whether you are referring to the length of the snake or the weight. If you look in the records there is some controversy over which snake holds the world’s record for size. The dimensions that have earned the anaconda the title of king is its total body weight The sheer physical bulk of it is amazing. The other snake that competes with the anaconda for the title of World’s Biggest Snake is the Asiatic Reticulated Python. The python holds the world’s record for length of a snake, with the longest ever measured at 33 feet. Even though the longest python is longer than the record-holding anaconda, the girth of the anaconda is far bigger. Anacondas in the jungles of South America can grow as big around as a grown man! So there you have it. The anaconda is the heaviest, and the reticulated python is the longest.
Big Snake Safety
I pity the unsuspecting person who looks out the back door to see a giant python working on its tan. Big snake safety is vital. After all, large snakes are large enough to make meals of young children or pets.Under no circumstances should a large constrictor ever be allowed to roam free in a room that is occupied by humans. Even though a snake may have been around humans since its birth, it is still a wild animal, with all its natural behaviors and instincts intact. If, for whatever reason, the snake suddenly feels threatened, or if it momentarily confuses its keepers with food, it can attack suddenly and unpredictably. Here are four simple but vital rules for keeping a large boa or python:
(1) Never handle the large snake alone.
(2) Never allow a large snake to roam in a room occupied by humans.
(3) Never allow the scent of a prey animal to get on you when handling a large snake.
(4) Always keep the large snake in a securely locked escape-proof enclosure, accessible only by you.
We love snakes and want them (and you) to be safe at all times.
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