The Giants of the Snake World: Longest and Largest Species

Quick Take

While most snake species are small, a handful of snakes grow to almost-unimaginable lengths and sizes.
These world’s largest snakes exist in a wide range of locations and habitats across the globe.
The green anaconda is the largest snake in the world by weight, weighing up to550 pounds.
The reticulated python wins the longest-snake award, growing up to 29 feet long.

Snakes have both fascinated and scared humans for as long as we can remember. Especially frightening are the giants that stretch to incredible lengths and have immense power. The world’s largest snakes thrive in environments where they can grow, hunt, and remain hidden from view. These habitats include dense rainforests and murky swamps. While many snake species are relatively small, a select few reach sizes that seem almost unbelievable. These impressive reptiles are capable of overpowering large prey with strength alone.

But what does it really mean to be the “biggest” snake? Some species claim the title based on sheer length, while others win in the weight-and-bulk category. Whether dominating by weight or length, these reptiles push the limits of size in the animal kingdom. This list includes an assortment of snakes, from massive constrictors that lurk in the Amazon to record-breaking pythons found across Asia. Let’s take a closer look at the biggest snakes in the world and what makes them so extraordinary.

King Brown Snake – 11 Feet Long

The king brown snake can grow to a length of 11 feet. Though this snake is 11 feet in size, it only weighs around 13 pounds.

This venomous snake lives in the grasslands, woods, and scrublands of central Australia. Its mixture of yellow and brown scales helps to camouflage it as it moves its long body in search of frogs and lizards. It has a conservation status of Least Concern with a decreasing population.

King Cobra – 13 Feet Long

The king cobra can grow to be 18 feet in length with a weight of upwards of 20 pounds. The king cobra claims the title of the longest venomous snake on earth!

These reptiles live in India, and Southeast Asia and are found in rainforest habitats. They can make themselves look even bigger when they ‘stand up’ or lift the top half of their body off the ground, in response to a threat. Its conservation status is Vulnerable, but it is a protected species in Vietnam.

The hood of the king cobra is actually ribs! These unique snakes’ biggest predator is the mongoose.

Boa Constrictor – 13 Feet Long

The boa constrictor and a king cobra can both grow to be 13 feet in length. However, the boa constrictor is ranked higher on the list of the world’s largest snakes because it’s the heavier of the two, weighing in at 60 pounds. However, boa constrictors only measure 2 feet in size as newborns.

These snakes live in South America. Some of them live in rainforests while others live in semi-desert habitats.

Black Mamba – 14 Feet Long

The Black Mamba can grow to a length of 14 feet. This snake is venomous and lives in savannas in the eastern and central parts of Africa.

The slender black mamba only weighs about 3-5 pounds, making it easy for this species to move at a speed of 12 miles per hour. The conservation status of this reptile is Least Concern with a stable population.

Indian Python – 15 Feet Long

The Indian python can grow to a length of 10-15 feet and sometimes longer. They have a weight of around 150 pounds. This reptile lives in the forests of Pakistan, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.

This snake has a diet of small mammals and birds. Like other pythons, it captures its prey with strong jaws, then wraps its body around the animal to suffocate it.

Unfortunately, this reptile has a conservation status of Vulnerable. It’s hunted for its skin and consumed as food in some places. Loss of habitat is also affecting populations.

Amethystine Python – 16 Feet Long

The amethystine python can grow to a length of 13-16 feet and weigh 33 pounds, with females usually larger than males. This reptile lives in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Australia. Its habitat includes tropical forests, savannas, and shrublands. The conservation status of this snake is Least Concern with a stable population.

African Rock Python – 16 Feet Long

The African rock python can grow to a length of 16 feet and weigh between 100-200 pounds. It lives in the grasslands and the savannas of Africa.

This snake suffocates prey by wrapping its large body around its victim using its powerful muscles. They are known to eat antelope, crocodiles, warthogs, and other large-size prey.

Burmese Python – 23 Feet Long

Ranked among the world’s largest snakes, the Burmese python has a length of up to 23 feet and can weigh up to 200 pounds. This reptile lives in the marshes of southeast Asia, including China. Its body is generally quite thick. Like other pythons on this list, this snake kills its prey by suffocation.

Their conservation status is Vulnerable with a decreasing population. These snakes are trapped and killed for their skin and used as food. Habitat destruction has also contributed to decreasing their prey, leading to a lower population.

Burmese pythons have become an invasive species in the Florida Everglades due to pets escaping captivity or being intentionally released. Recently, the largest invasive Burmese python was captured in Florida. The female snake is 18 feet long and weighs 215 pounds. Although they can weigh as much as a person, they aren’t the largest snake in the world.

The Conservancy of Southwest Florida has been implanting radio transmitters in male scout snakes and releasing them into the wild to locate breeding aggregations where large, reproducing females can be found.

They seek to remove these females from the wild in hopes of slowing their growing numbers.

Green Anaconda – 28 Feet Long

The green anaconda is the largest snake in the world by weight (though the reticulated python is the longest snake). This anaconda grows to a length of 28 feet and can weigh up to 550 pounds. Normally, female green anacondas are larger than males.

The snake that claims the title of biggest snake in the world lives in the Amazon Basin in Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, and Peru. They are carnivores capturing their prey of wild pigs and deer by wrapping their tremendous bodies around them and squeezing until the prey is dead.

Reticulated Python – 29 Feet Long

A reticulated python is the longest snake in the world, though the green anaconda beats it in the weight category. Reticulated pythons can grow to a length of 29 feet and have a weight of up to 250 pounds! The mixed pattern of its brownish-yellow and black scales gives the snake its name. The female reticulated python is usually larger than the male. This reptile lives in the rainforests and marshes of southeast Asia, Bangladesh, and Vietnam. Their conservation status is Least Concern.