Longest species of snake

The reticulated python (Malayopython reticulatus), native to tropical forests and wetlands in south-east Asia, typically measures 3–6 m (9 ft 10 in–19 ft 2 in), but giant 6-m-plus specimens (usually females) have emerged from time to time. Among anecdotal historical reports, one python that was shot in Celebes (now Sulawesi), Indonesia, in 1912 was alleged to be 10 m (32 ft 9 in).

Some have cast doubt over the 10-m python from Celebes owing to a lack of supporting evidence to back up the original claim by museum collector Harry C Raven from the American Museum of Natural History, who toured the area between 1912 and 1923. In a historical review of large snake species – Giant Snakes: A Natural History (2019) – herpetology expert John C Murphy estimates that the maximum length of reticulated pythons is most likely in the range of 8–9 m (26 ft 2 in–29 ft 6 in).

In more recent times, the longest wild reticulated python found with corroboratory evidence of the measurement is a female from Maros County, Sulawesi, Indonesia, in December 2025, and taken into the custodianship of local snake conservationist Budi Purwanti for her own protection. When assessed by wildlife expert and licensed snake handler Diaz Nugraha (from Borneo) and explorer and nature photographer Radu Frentiu (a long-term resident of Bali) on 18 January 2026, the giant snake – dubbed Ibu Baron ("The Baroness") – measured 7.22 m (23 ft 8 in). Under anaesthesia, when snakes’ bodies fully relax, she could be at least 10% longer, so in reality her true length might be nearer 7.9 m (26 ft). She tipped the scales at 96.5 kg (213 lb), and appeared to have not recently eaten.

The longest reticulated python in captivity ever recorded by GWR was Medusa, who stretched 7.67 m (25 ft 2 in) as confirmed in Kansas City, Missouri, USA, on 12 October 2011. She was owned by Full Moon Productions (USA).

While reticulated pythons are widely deemed the longest snake species overall, another constrictor on the other wide of the world exceeds them in terms of weight. Females of the more bulky-bodied green anaconda (Eunectes murinus and E. akayima) of South and Central America average 3–5 m (9 ft 10 in–16 ft 4 in) long and typically weigh between 30 and 70 kg (65–155 lb). But extra-large individuals after a substantial meal or during pregnancy might tip the scales at up to 300 kg (660 lb)! As such, GWR recognizes them as the heaviest snake species overall.