With a recorded length of over 10
metres, the
Reticulated Python (
Python reticulatus) is the longest extant
snake species. But, because it is slender and elongate, it is not the largest: the Green
Anaconda is roughly twice as heavy at the same length. Retics have beautifully iridescent scales and pretty patterns, but they are ill-tempered: they have been responsible for several human fatalities, both in the wild and in captivity.
See also: Pythonidae