Hit parade of the most powerful snakes of our planet (14 photos)

Most snakes scare people with just their appearance. Even at the dacha, they cause a terrible panic. But no shovel will help with the guests of this article.





Here are some ways to use large snakes in everyday life.

1. Reticulated python: the longest snake. An adult reticulated python is a reptile up to 7.5 meters long and weighs almost a hundred kilos. It is longer than the room I am sitting in right now! Of course, the python scares all the inhabitants of the Asian jungle to the point of hiccups. The monster feeds on monkeys, pigs, deer, young Malayan bears and... people?



Oh, damn, the tail got caught on something...

The snake is quite capable of swallowing a person weighing up to 60 kilograms whole. Considering that the inhabitants of South and Southeast Asia are on average smaller than Europeans, the potential prey of pythons are not only teenagers, but also a significant part of the adult population. Unfortunately, over the past century and a half, several dozen cases of pythons successfully hunting humans have been recorded.





The chief accountant is relaxing in a sauna at a corporate party. A typical picture for the New Year!

But we hasten to please you! Most people will be a pain in the ass. Literally. Our anatomy does not allow us to be swallowed by giant reptiles: a narrow head can easily squeeze into their mouth, but wide shoulders and a chest that barely bend will be a problem for a python.

2. Anaconda: the heaviest snake. Anacondas are slightly smaller than reticulated pythons, their maximum length does not exceed 6.7 meters. But the reptiles compensate for this with mass. Muscle mass. The maximum size of anaconda is a creature weighing 150-170 kilograms, not counting the prey inside. And such mass makes them more dangerous than pythons.



The king of South America and his royal snag.

Even the largest reticulated pythons can become prey to a crocodile or a tiger. While anacondas themselves hunt jaguars and caimans - the top predators of South America. What can I say, they even attack capybaras, despite all their cuteness and docile nature! There is nothing sacred about these cold-blooded creatures!



Two reptiles hugging each other in a friendly manner. Wildlife is so cute!



To be fair, jaguars don't stay in debt. An anaconda can become a doctor's sausage for their lunch if it is not large or agile enough.

But catching a capybara is a challenge with an asterisk. The animal weighs about 60 kilos, runs fast and swims well. It hides from land predators in the water, and from aquatic predators on land. But it cannot hide from an anaconda, because the snake can hunt from an ambush on land and quickly pursues its prey in the water.



Your hugs are kind of weak. Let me show you how it's done!

3. King cobra. It is a big loser in size to the two previous snake species. It is "only" up to 5.8 meters long, and weighs only 5-10 kilos. And yet, in a fight between it and a python, I would bet on a draw. After all, the king cobra is the longest poisonous snake!



Wow, snake juice! I wonder what it tastes like?

In Asia, everyone avoids the king cobra: the aforementioned pythons, tigers, crocodiles, people. A warm-blooded animal about the size of a human will die just half an hour after being bitten. Large cold-blooded animals will also die, they will just suffer from the effects of the poison longer. But most of all, the king cobra is feared by its own kind. The basis of the reptile's diet is all the snakes it can swallow.



My applause to the cobra for the look, and the photographer for the courage.

4. Gaboon viper: The heaviest venomous snake on the planet. With an average length of only 1.8-2 meters, it weighs more than the king cobra. The mass of a hungry snake can reach 11 kilograms. The reptile does not worry about the size of its waist either: the girth at the widest point can reach 50 centimeters. This is a very thick snake!



Hello, do you need a snake as thick as your head?

Such dimensions made the viper extremely lazy. It even moves in a very strange way. The Gaboon viper has turned its ribs into peculiar legs. With their help, it “walks” like a caterpillar. Apparently, this method of movement is more economical: when the snake needs to hurry, it switches to standard snake crawling.



Top-top-top stomps the baby!

But lazy does not mean weak. The Gaboon viper is the only viper that is strong enough to hold its prey until it weakens from the effect of the venom. Other vipers, even longer ones, prefer to let go of their prey and pursue it by smell and heat until it weakens.



5. Titanoboa: the most-most snake. This monster is up to 13 meters long and weighs more than a ton. You might assume that it should feed on crocodiles at the very least. But no, the structure of the jaw and oral cavity tells us that the titanoboa's diet consists of fish and aquatic animals.



The artists couldn't help but fantasize about the epic battle of two reptiles. I can't judge them!

Of course, this is the largest snake that ever lived. Only it died out. And a long time ago, about 58 million years ago. Most likely, its food supply began to change, and the animal could not adapt to the new conditions. Luckily for us.



In principle, you can ride such a snake...