Ranked: The 5 Largest Snakes Ever on Earth

Written by Megan Martin
Updated: September 11, 2023
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The Earth is home to a variety of unique and surprising supersized creatures. The top five largest snakes ever on Earth are no exception!

While not all are still found in the wilderness today, these five snakes are the largest of the large — and you’re going to meet them! Ready to learn more about some of the largest snakes ever? Let’s dive in!

Picture graph of the 5 Largest Snakes Ever on Earth.
While one of these snakes lived 58 million years ago and is now extinct, the other four are truly incredible.

5. African Rock Python

Although they’re the smallest on this list, the African rock python is one of the largest species of snakes. In fact, they’re so large that, proportionally, they could swallow a human whole! There are two subspecies of African rock python found on the continent.

They’re identifiable by their dark brown base and light brown or caramel markings. Since they are constrictors with no venom, they also have a unique body shape. This includes a thick head and body that tapers into a thin tail. This provides them with the strength they need to constrict their prey.

On average, the African rock python grows between 9 and 12 feet long and will weigh up to 125 pounds. However, some individuals can grow even larger! The largest African rock pythons can grow to be up to 19 feet long and weigh as much as 200 pounds.

African rock python in the water

The African rock python is one of the largest species of snakes despite being the smallest on this list.

©zaferkizilkaya/Shutterstock.com

4. Amethystine Python

Not many people have heard of the amethystine python. However, they’re the fourth largest snake to ever exist on Earth. They also happen to be the largest native snake in Papua New Guinea. In recent years, there has been some discourse about what is a subspecies of the amethystine python and what isn’t.

As a result, while they were once also considered the largest snake species in Australia, scientists now believe that this snake isn’t found there at all. Adult amethystine pythons can grow to around 27 feet. However, this is fairly rare, with most amethystine pythons reaching between 10 and 20 feet long.

Scrub python on a tree branch

The largest amethystine pythons can be around 27 feet long, although the average is 10 -20 feet.

©iStock.com/Brooke Ottley

3. Green Anaconda

There’s a notable gap in size between the African rock python and the green anaconda. In fact, the green anaconda is more than double the size of the African rock python!

It’s actually taken scientists some time to learn more about green anacondas. However, now we know more about everything from what they eat to their size! These supersized snakes are native to South America, where they’re some of the largest snakes on the continent.

They can grow to be up to 30 feet long and weigh more than 500 pounds! That’s around the same as an adult female polar bear. Like all five of the largest snakes on Earth, the green anaconda doesn’t have venom. Instead, as a python, it’s a constrictor that uses its large weight and size to hunt its prey.

Biggest Snakes: The Green Anaconda

The Green Anaconda is a massive constrictor that can weigh 500 pounds!

©Patrick K. Campbell/Shutterstock.com

2. Reticulated Python

While the reticulated python isn’t the heaviest snake in the world, it is the longest. There are currently three subspecies. Reticulated pythons can grow up to 20 feet long, if not longer, and weigh hundreds of pounds! Earlier, we mentioned that the African rock python could eat a human based on its proportions. The reticulated python, however, actually has been recorded to attack and even eat people on two separate occasions.

reticulated python

The reticulated python is the longest snake in the world today.

©Mark_Kostich/Shutterstock.com

1. Titanoboa

The largest snake ever on Earth is one that you can’t find anywhere. Existing around the time of dinosaurs, the Titanoboa is one of the largest creatures ever. They could grow to be nearly 50 feet long and weigh over 2500 pounds. That’s around the same size as the Hollywood sign!

The only known species of Titanoboa is the Titanoboa cerrejonensis. It was alive around 58 million years ago, just after the dinosaurs’ extinction. Although their size and power make them apex predators, researchers believe their main food source was fish. Titanoboa lived in what is known as present-day South America, with remains being found in Colombia.

Titanoboa on grassland

The prehistoric giant snake Titanoboa is estimated to have reached 50 feet long.

©Michael Rosskothen/Shutterstock.com

Other Record-Breaking Snakes

On July 27, 2018, Willow Godshalk sighted a red diamond rattlesnake, which happened to be the biggest one ever documented in California, measuring 6 feet in length, and it almost attacked her dog on Mariposa Street. Godshalk managed to spot the snake while her dog was playing outside. Fortunately, the rattlesnake was relocated to its natural habitat after being fed.

Additionally, the largest rattlesnake ever recorded was an eastern diamondback rattlesnake (scientifically known as Crotalus adamanteus), which was shot and killed in 1946. It measured 7 feet, 8 inches in length, and weighed 34 pounds.

Furthermore, in 1946, Hunter Rutledge shot the biggest rattlesnake ever caught and recorded, which was an eastern diamondback rattlesnake with the scientific name of Crotalus adamanteus; the snake measured 7 feet and 8 inches in length and weighed 34 pounds.

Summary of the 5 Largest Snakes Ever on Earth

Name of SnakeLength in FeetWeight in PoundsLocation
Titanoboa502500South American rainforests
Reticulated Python20165+Southeast Asia
Green Anaconda30500Northern half of South America
Amethystine Python10-20 and up to 2760-66Papua New Guinea (was thought to be in northern Australia and Indonesia)
African Rock Python9-12 and up to 19125-200Sub-Saharan Africa

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Rusty Dodson/Shutterstock.com

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About the Author

Megan is a writer at A-Z Animals where her primary focus is birds, felines, and sharks. She has been researching and writing about animals for four years, and she holds a Bachelor of Arts in English with minors in biology and professional and technical writing from Wingate University, which she earned in 2022. A resident of North Carolina, Megan is an avid birdwatcher that enjoys spending time with her cats and exploring local zoological parks with her husband.

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Sources
  1. Nature, Available here: https://www.nature.com/articles/nature07671
  2. Journals, Available here: https://journals.ku.edu/reptilesandamphibians/article/view/15504/14058
  3. A-Z Animals, Available here: https://a-z-animals.com/blog/discover-the-largest-rock-python-ever-found/