World’s Longest Snake Captured, Promptly Dies
OutdoorHub Reporters 04.12.16
The capture of what may be the longest snake ever seen ended in tragedy on Sunday after local wildlife officials confirmed that the animal perished. The snake, a 26-foot-long and 550-pound reticulated python, was captured on a construction site in Penang, Malaysia. Construction workers and employees from the Penang Civil Defense Department managed to corner the snake on Thursday. It took well over a dozen men just to stretch the python out to its full size.
You can see photos of the snake below:
According to local news reports, the snake was turned over to wildlife officials, who temporarily housed it and fed it a diet of mice and similar food meant for smaller snakes. On Sunday, the female snake laid an egg and later died. Officials are still investigating the cause of death.
The reticulated python is often found to be the longest snake species in the world, but they are not the heaviest. That achievement goes to the green anaconda, which weigh over 100 pounds on average and are generally heavier than their python cousins. However, if the Malaysian python’s measurements are correct, it would weigh more than the vast majority of anacondas.
The longest living snake currently in captivity is another reticulated python, but one living far away from its native habitat. Guinness World Records recognizes a 25-foot, 2-inch python in Kansas City, Missouri as the longest living snake. It is called Medusa, and its diet consists of anything from rabbits to whole hogs and deer. Famously, it has been known to be stubborn and requires several people to get it out of its cage safely. After which, sometimes it just goes straight back in.
You can watch a video of Medusa below.
