The reticulated python (Python reticulatus), found in southeastern Asia and the East Indies, is the longest snake, measuring up to 33 feet and weighing as much as 300 pounds. Feeding on small mammals, this nonpoisonous snake coils around its prey and squeezes hard, which causes the animal to suffocate; it then swallows the prey whole. The largest pythons have been known to kill and swallow small pigs and goats, but rarely humans.
At 28 feet in length and 44 inches in diameter, the anaconda (Eunectes murinus), also known as the water boa, is a close second to the python. Native to the jungles of South America, this snake is a boa constrictor like the python. Although shorter, the anaconda is far heavier than the python due to its girth, weighing as much as 500 pounds.
