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There is a new world record for the longest snake ever measured in the wild. This absolute unit is a wild female reticulated python caught in the Maros region of Sulawesi, Indonesia.
The 7.22 meter reticulated python was caught near the end of last year but it is just now receiving recognition as the longest snake ever measured in the wild, an honor that bodes well for the health of the species population.
23’8″ Reticulated Python Is Longest Snake Ever Measured in the Wild
Here’s the thing, however long you expect the world’s longest snake to be when you see it I promise you it is longer. A Type A school bus, the smaller school buses on the road, are 19-25 feet in length on average. This snake is literally longer than most Type A school buses… I believe the word you are looking for right now is Ophidiophobia, or a fear of snakes.
That is a dinosaur. A living dinosaur. The Titanoboa is the longest snake species in history and when it roamed the earth 58-60 million years ago it measured around 50 feet long. So twice as long as this insanely massive reticulated python. Let that sink in.
It’s official
According to a recent entry from the Guinness World Records, this is now officially the longest snake ever measured in the wild. Notice I keep mentioning ‘the wild’ because snakes in captivity will live longer than in the wild and are able to grow for a longer period of time. This snake was living in an ‘eat or be eaten’ world in Indonesia.
The official length of 23 feet, 8 inches from heat to tail was certified by GWR on January 18th. In the entry, they state this snake is as long as the standard width of a FIFA goal. So when you are watching the World Cup this Summer, think about how there are snakes in Indonesia that are as long as the goal is wide.