The largest living snakes in the world, measured either by length or by weight, are various members of the Boidae and Pythonidae families. They include anacondas, pythons and boa constrictors, which are all non-venomous constrictors. The longest venomous snake, with a length up to 18.5–18.8 ft (5.6–5.7 m), is the king cobra, while contesters for the heaviest title include the Gaboon viper and the Eastern diamondback rattlesnake. All of these three species reach a maximum mass in the range of 6–20 kg (13–44 lb). The largest known snake overall is the extinct Titanoboa. There are fourteen or fifteen living snake species that have a maximum mass of at least 50 lb (23 kg), as shown in the table below. These include all species that reach a length of at least 20 ft (6 m). There are also two other species that reach nearly this length – the Oenpelli python (binomial name Nyctophilopython oenpelliensis, Simalia oenpelliensis or Morelia oenpelliensis), and the olive python (Liasis olivaceus). The information available about these two species is rather limited. The Oenpelli python, in particular, has been called the rarest python in the world. There is considerable variation in the maximum reported size of these species, and most measurements are not verifiable, so the sizes listed should not be considered definitive. In general, the reported lengths are likely to be somewhat overestimated. In spite of what has been, for many years, a standing offer of a large financial reward (initially $1,000 offered by U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt in the early 1900s, later raised to $5,000, then $15,000 in 1978 and $50,000 in 1980) for a live, healthy snake over 30 ft (9.14 m) long by the New York Zoological Society (later renamed as the Wildlife Conservation Society), no attempt to claim the reward has ever been made. Although it is generally accepted that the reticulated python is the world's longest snake, most length estimates longer than 6 m (20 ft) have been called into question. It has been suggested that confident length records for the largest snakes must be established from a dead body soon after death, or alternatively from a heavily sedated snake, using a steel tape and in the presence of witnesses, and must be published (and preferably recorded on video). At least one reticulated python was measured under full anesthesia at 6.95 m (22.8 ft), and somewhat less reliable scientific reports up to 10.05 m (33.0 ft) have appeared. Although weight is easier to measure reliably than length (e.g., by simply measuring the weight of a container with and without the snake inside it and subtracting one measurement from the other), a significant factor in the weight of a snake is whether it has been kept in captivity and provided an unusual abundance of food in conditions that also cause reduced levels of activity. Moreover, the weight of wild specimens is often reduced as a symptom of parasite infestations that are eliminated by veterinary care in captivity. Thus, the largest weights measured for captive specimens often greatly exceed the largest weights observed in the wild for the same species. This phenomenon may particularly affect the weight measurements for anaconda species that are especially difficult to keep in captivity due to their semi-aquatic nature, resulting in other species having larger weights measured in captivity. In particular, the green anaconda (Eunectes murinus) is an especially massive snake if only observations in the wild are considered.
Largest serpent species in the world
By families
Boas (Boidae) The most massive living member of this highly diverse reptilian order is the green anaconda (Eunectes murinus) of the neotropical riverways. These may exceed 8.8 m (29 ft) and 227 kg (500 lb), although such reports are not fully verified. Rumors of larger anacondas also persist. The reticulated python (Python reticulatus) of Southeast Asia is longer but more slender, and has been reported to measure as much as 10 m (33 ft) in length and to weigh up to 158 kg (348 lb).
Typical snakes (Colubridae) Among the colubrids, the most diverse snake family, the largest snakes may be the keeled rat snake (Ptyas carinata) at up to 4 m (13 ft). The genus Drymarchon also contains some of the largest colubrids such as the eastern indigo snake (Drymarchon couperi) and the indigo snake (Drymarchon corais) which can both reach lengths of almost 3 m (9.8 ft). The former may grow to weights of 5 kg (11 lb) or greater. Another large species in this family is the false water cobra (Hydrodynastes gigas) reaching a length of 3 m (9.8 ft), and a mass of 4.56 kg (10.1 lb), one of the largest venomous snakes in South America. The tiger rat snake (Spilotes pullatus), also living in South America, can reach a length of 2.7 m (8 ft 10 in). The yellow-bellied puffing snake (Pseustes sulphureus) can exceed a length of 3 m (9.8 ft). The largest racer, the Hispaniola racer (Haitiophis anomalus), at an average length of 2 m (6 ft 7 in), is the longest snake species in the West Indies.
Elapids (Elapidae)
The longest venomous snake is the king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah), with lengths (recorded in captivity) of up to 5.7 m (19 ft) and a weight of up to 12.7 kg (28 lb).The second-longest venomous snake in the world is possibly the African black mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis), which can grow up to 4.5 m (15 ft). Among the genus Naja, the longest member arguably may be the forest cobra (Naja melanoleuca), which can reportedly grow up to 3 m (9.8 ft). In the case of the Indian cobra (Naja naja), the majority of adult specimens range from 1 to 1.5 m (3 ft 3 in to 4 ft 11 in) in length. Some specimens, particularly those from Sri Lanka, may grow to lengths of 2.1 to 2.2 m (6 ft 11 in to 7 ft 3 in), but this is relatively uncommon.
Blind snakes (Leptotyphlopidae) The largest blind snake Giant blind snake (Rena maxima) is a female with a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 33 cm (13 in) plus a tail 1.8 cm (0.71 in) long.
Lamprophids (Lamprophiidae) The largest lamprophids Cape file snake (Heterolepsis capensis) is a medium to large snake. With an average total length (including tail) of about 120 cm (3 ft 11 in), specimens of 165 cm (5 ft 5 in) total length have been recorded. It has a very flat head, and its body is strikingly triangular in cross-section.
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