Snakes are generally seen as small reptiles. But the biggest snakes in the world can eat entire animals and they aren’t small by any means of measure. Rarely seen in reality, these snakes live far from human populations and large metropolitan areas. But they have been seen numerous times
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10. Papuan Python
This incredible snake is very rare to see in reality. But there have been recent reports of seeing it live around New Guinea. The snake reaches a weight of around 50lbs at maturity. However, it is believed this new species of snake can change its colors, which makes many hunters seek it out personally.
9. Cuban Boa
This snake is known for living on and around trees. Its natural habitat is in Cuba and some of the islands around the country. It reaches weights of around 60lbs and it impresses in length. The snake reaches lengths of up to 16ft. It would be very difficult to see one in reality even if you’d be close to it as its colors make it blend in well with trees.
8. Dark Anaconda
Image: Wikimedia / C. Schuhmacher
The Dark anaconda or the dark-spotted anaconda is found in the Northern part of South America. It reaches weights of up to 66lbs and a length of up to 16 feet. However, it’s not venomous. You have a chance of surviving if it bites you when you’re exploring regions of Northern Brazil.
7. Boa Constrictor
Native to Central and South America, the Boa snake is large and also non-venomous. It reaches a weight of up to 99lbs in reality when out in nature. However, the snake can even be heavier since its largely seen in captivity. You don’t have to travel to Central America to see the Boa snake live. You can easily see it in most zoos around the world and you can recognize it by its stripped look.
6. Yellow Anaconda
The Yellow anaconda is similar in size to the Green anaconda and it’s one of the largest in the world. It has been known to reach weights of over 100lbs. You can recognize this snake easily. It’s not entirely yellow but it comes with yellow stripes. You can see Yellow anacondas in zoos but out in nature, they have been reported in various sizes as well. A typical yellow anaconda that lives out in nature has a length of around 12 feet.
5. Reticulated Python
The Reticulated python is native to Southeast Asia. It is believed to be one of the largest snakes in the world and people hunt it out of curiosity as well as for its skin that is later sold for the fashion industry. This snake is similar to the yellow anaconda in stripe patterns but it has darker skin. You’d find it difficult to see in real life but you should not try a face to face encounter due to its large size. Some Reticulated pythons have been reported to come with a length of up to 33 feet.
4. Indian Python
This non-venomous snake is known under different names. Some call it the Indian Python while others call it the Black python. Outside the Indian subcontinent, it might also be known as the Rock pithing, mainly because it likes to lay on rocks in the sun. This large snake also has a length of up to 30 feet. It has weights of up to 200lbs, making it one of the heaviest snakes to be found in Southeast Asia and Asia in general.
3. African Rock Python
This incredible snake reaches weights of up to 250lbs. This weight isn’t maintained with insects. The African Rock python likes to eat goats and antelopes. It wraps its tail around animals suffocating them and eating them in a matter of minutes or hours.
It generally doesn’t attack people but those in sub-Saharan regions fear it widely. People here often hunt the snake and eat it after cooking it. Some people may even seek revenge on this snake which is considered dangerous as it can eat the animals local grow for food.
On occasion, this snake is also known for eating wild animals. It eats monkeys and even entire crocodiles. But this powerful snake also sneaks up on baby leopards. However, this pray is rare for the large snake as large hunting animals in Africa can kill it.
2. Burmese Python
This type of python reaches weights of over 400 pounds. It has been considered one of the most dangerous Asian snakes. Over time, it has been seen as an invasive snake species in the USA as well. It has been seen around Florida where hurricanes helped it escape from captivity. It is believed the snake reproduced in its thousands since it escaped even if thousands more were captured back.
This type of snake is also carnivorous. It eats all types of birds and animals. But the Burmese python can also live a long period without eating. This snake comes with a distinct stomach that adapts to periods of extreme hunger to periods of large feasts where it eats large animals easily after wrapping them with its tail to prevent an escape.
1. Green Anaconda
The Green anaconda is the main species of snake that people refer to simply as an anaconda. It is found in South America in countries such as Brazil, Peru, and Bolivia. Much of its life, the anaconda spends in the water. This means it mainly eats fish.
But this snake also eats almost any other animal that it can kill on the spot. It’s also a very rare type of snake that tends to eat other snakes from its species as well. Researchers show that female anacondas eat male anacondas, especially smaller male anacondas. This is a bit of a mystery as it doesn’t often happen out in nature. But research suggests heavier female anacondas tend to need more food than their male counterparts and this is the reason for them praying and eating upon any type of animal that crosses their path.
