The fear of snakes is as ancient as humanity itself, and "snake stories" have been popular in myth and folklore of various peoples long before the advent of the Internet. Instinct makes us fear them, and there seems to be good reason for that, as many of the world's most venomous creatures are snakes. And the smallest of them are the deadliest.
But most of the largest snakes in the world are not poisonous and are often kept as pets.
We offer you a description and photo of the largest snakes in the world.
10. Black mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis) - 3 meters long
One of the sizes the most venomous snakes on the planet second only to its queen from the 6th line of our rating. It is also one of the most aggressive snakes in the world, as it often attacks for no apparent reason. And running away from a black mamba is very difficult. For short distances, it develops a speed of up to 11 km / h.
9. Olive python (Liasis olivaceus) - 4 meters
Sometimes this non-venomous snake, one of the largest in Australia, is confused with the mulga, a poisonous snake from the asp family. The olive python suffers from such a similarity, as it is often killed, mistaken for a dangerous "double".
Olive pythons are harmless to humans; they feed mainly on small mammals, birds and reptiles.
8. Boa constrictor - 4.5 meters
These chameleons of the snake world can fit into any habitat they live in. The color of the common boa constrictor ranges from green and brown to yellow or red.
Boa constrictors can be found in tropical Central and South America. They are excellent swimmers, although they prefer to live on land. They can eat anything - from birds to monkeys. Common boas are not poisonous, they have small hooked teeth with which they grip their prey before wrapping their whole body around it and squeezing to death.
However, they often turn from hunters into prey, because there is a real hunt for the exotic skin of boa constrictors. Therefore, this species of snake is on the list of endangered species.
7. Indian python, aka light tiger python (Python molurus molurus) - 5 meters
This snake was once the queen of the jungle of India, Sri Lanka and the East Indies. Indian pythons are among the oldest snake species and have tiny bumps on their skin that indicate they may have had legs at one time. They are not poisonous, but they have two rows of very sharp teeth that can cause a very painful bite.
Pythons prefer to eat mammals, and like other largest snakes in the world, they kill their prey by strangulation. They are able to kill a deer and swallow it whole.
Indian pythons live up to 20 years and are considered very useful creatures for controlling pests such as rats and mice.In areas where people have destroyed snakes or destroyed their habitat, pests that carry dangerous diseases have become a serious threat to human health.
6.King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) - 5.6 meters
It is the largest venomous snake in the world. It is considered a very dangerous reptile, since its poison can cause human death in 15 minutes. However, if possible, the king cobra avoids collisions with people. And when attacking, in order to drive off a two-legged enemy, it can make two or three "blank" bites, saving poison for hunting.
The Latin name Ophiophagus hannah means "snake eater." And it is fully justified, because the diet of the king cobra mainly consists of other snakes, including poisonous ones.
5. Dark brindle python, aka Burmese python (Python bivittatus) - 5.74 meters
This snake has a beautiful patterned coloration reminiscent of the skin of a giraffe and is known for its calm disposition. Burmese pythons are often kept as pets.
In their natural habitat, these snakes can be found in South and Southeast Asia. Their diet consists of small mammals and birds, and, like anacondas, Burmese pythons squeeze their prey until it suffocates. They then swallow the prey whole and can only eat two or three times a year.
Due to the deteriorating habitat and demand for snake skin and flesh, these giant creatures are becoming an endangered species in the wild. However, in captivity, their numbers remain high.
4. Hieroglyph python (Python sebae) - 6 meters
Adult hieroglyph pythons usually reach 4.8 meters in length. But there is unconfirmed information that in 1958 a seven-meter python was killed, in whose stomach a 1.5-meter Nile crocodile was found. Now it is difficult to say whether this information was true, since there is no photo or video of one of the largest snakes in the world.
These pythons also attack people. In 2002, a 10-year-old boy was swallowed by a snake in South Africa.
3. Amethyst python (Morelia amethistina) - 6 meters
This species is found in Indonesia, Australia and Papua New Guinea. Amethyst differs from other pythons in large and symmetrical scutes that cover the upper part of its head. These snakes have a beautiful yellow-olive or olive-brown color with a rainbow tint.
Amethyst pythons feed on small animals (including chickens) and often crawl into the yards of people holding birds.
2. Giant or green anaconda (Eunectes murinus) - 9 meters
There are many legends and rumors about the size of the anaconda. Briton Percival Fossett describes anacondas over 18 and 24 meters in size. And in 2015, a photo of a giant anaconda 40 meters long and 2067 kg in weight circulated on the Internet, which allegedly killed 257 people and 2325 animals. It took British commandos in Africa 37 days to track down and kill her.
However, this photo turned out to be a fake, and the largest specimen of the anaconda currently known is located in New York, in the terrarium of the Zoological Society. She is about 9 meters tall and weighs 130 kg.
Green anacondas live mainly in the Amazon rainforest and can be found in swamps, rivers, and streams. They are very agile in the water and never crawl far away from it. Their diet mainly consists of iguanas, birds, turtles and other small to medium sized creatures. These scaly giants kill their prey by wrapping around and squeezing them in a deadly embrace, preventing air from breathing. Their extremely flexible mouth allows them to swallow their prey whole, even if it is much larger than the anaconda itself. And it may take months before the snake wants to eat again.
1. Reticulated python (Python reticulatus) - 14.85 meters
The largest snake in the world was found in the jungle on the island of Sumatra. Its length exceeded 14 meters, and its weight was 447 kg. Scientists have never seen a snake this size. The monster was given the name Guihua and entered the Guinness Book of Records. It costs him nothing to swallow a man or even a medium-sized cow. And after such a meal, Guihua may not eat anything for several months.
Common reticulated pythons reach 5-7 meters in length and are characterized by aggressive behavior. They can attack people and animals, both domestic and predators.In one of the videos with the largest snakes in the world, a python killed and swallowed a small alligator
These snakes are able to dislocate their jaw in order to swallow prey close to their weight and growing up to 1/4 of the body length.
Despite the fact that the reticulated python is quite widespread in the wild, its numbers are gradually decreasing. Poachers actively hunt for snake skin, as well as the gallbladder, which is used in Asian folk medicine.
The largest snake ever to live on Earth
But even the world's largest reticulated python hasn't grown to the size of a titanoboa. This extinct species of snake - a close relative of the boa constrictor - lived on Earth about 61-58 million years ago. The body length of the titanoboa reached 15 meters, and it weighed about a ton.
A giant snake lived in a humid and hot jungle in the territory of modern Colombia. And if she lived to this day, then Korney Chukovsky would urge children not to walk not in Africa at all, but where this huge monster crawls.