The Largest Snake To Ever Roam The Earth Was A Whopping 42 Feet Long, Weighed Over A Ton, And Ruled The Rainforests Of What Is Now Colombia Approximately 60 Million Years Ago
The biggest snake that ever slithered on the earth lived around 58 to 60 million years ago. Titanaboa ruled the rainforests of what is now Colombia.
The giant reptile was about 42 feet long and weighed over 1.25 tons. Scientists aren’t sure why the species died out, but climate change could’ve been a factor.
The Titanaboa was a third larger than the green anaconda, which is considered to be the largest snake in the world that is still living today.
The green anaconda belongs to the boa family and is just one out of the four types of anacondas. The three others are the yellow anaconda, the dark-spotted anaconda, and the Bolivian anaconda.
They are all native to the tropical region of South America, where they crawl through swamps and swim in winding rivers. The largest green anaconda ever recorded was reportedly a female that measured up to 33 feet long and weighed about 880 pounds. She was found at a construction site in Brazil.
Another well-known species of snake is the python. Unlike anacondas, pythons hail from the other side of the globe in areas of Europe, Asia, and Africa. They also lay eggs, while boas give birth to live offspring.
The reticulated python is the longest snake in that region. They get big enough to consume deer, pigs, and even the occasional human. The world record for the longest reticulated python is over 32 feet, and it was found in 1912.
The reticulated python rivals the green anaconda in length. Between the two snakes, the reticulated python tends to grow longer.
However, green anacondas are much bulkier and get a lot heavier than even the longest of pythons. So, when discussing which is the biggest snake, it depends on whether you’re measuring the reptiles by length or weight.
césarmartíntovar – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual snake
According to experts, in both the reticulated python and the anaconda, females always reach bigger proportions than males, so the biggest snake in the world will usually be a female.
It’s not easy to assess the exact measurements of these massive, hulking beasts. They often don’t respond well to being handled by humans. In order to measure the snakes, scientists have had to hold a piece of string over the reptiles’ backs and then measure the string.
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