World's largest snake snared?

The Associated Press

AP photo
A giant reticulated python curls inside a cage at Curugsewu recreational Park, in Kendal, Central Java, Indonesia, Tuesday.

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Indonesian villagers claim to have captured a python that is almost 49 feet long and weighs nearly 990 pounds, a local official said.

If confirmed, it would be the largest snake ever kept in captivity.

Hundreds of people have flocked to see the snake at a primitive zoo in Curugsewu village on the country's main island of Java.

Local government official Rachmat said the reticulated python measured 48 feet 8 inches and weighed in at 983 pounds.

The Guinness Book of World Records lists the longest ever captured snake to be 32 feet. The heaviest -- a Burmese Python kept in Gurnee, Ill. -- weighs 402 pounds, the book said on its Web site.

The Indonesian newspaper Republika said the snake, which was caught last year but only recently put on public display, eats three or four dogs a month.

Reticulated pythons are the world's longest snakes. They are capable of eating animals as large as sheep, and have been known to attack and consume humans.

The species is native to the swamps and jungles of Southeast Asia.

Made the papers here. Wouldn't want to be the guy holding the tape measure!!!!

Guess they don't have a lot of stray dogs runing around down there, either.... LOL...

Know where your kids are? :eek:

The only snakes I saw in Alaska were "ICE" snakes, course this was in my heavy drinking days. :D

Gun Runner

We do have ice worms (no kidding!!!), but no snakes, thank goodness.

Alyeska, I would have to see this one in person.
And I certainly would be willing to do the measuring. I have handled some very big snakes. The trick to it is knowing their weak point! their jaws. if you can squeeze their jaws, THEY WILL let go. that is their achilles heel.
The largest I have handled to date was over 12 feet long and near 120 pounds. Easily enough to kill any man on earth.
But if you know what you are doing, no problem. Just don't get cocky. stop paying attention, and they will remind you who is boss.

John

I've been around many snakes before, held boas before that were around a hundred lbs. But I do not want to mess around with a snake that ways 980 lbs. I mean Im sure its slow moving...but I'm pretty sure once that thing got you in its grip nothing but time is gonna make it let go of you.

Darn thing would make a nice pair of boots....well many pairs of boots!

David

World's largest snake snared?

The Associated Press

AP photo
A giant reticulated python curls inside a cage at Curugsewu recreational Park, in Kendal, Central Java, Indonesia, Tuesday.

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Indonesian villagers claim to have captured a python that is almost 49 feet long and weighs nearly 990 pounds, a local official said.

If confirmed, it would be the largest snake ever kept in captivity.

Hundreds of people have flocked to see the snake at a primitive zoo in Curugsewu village on the country's main island of Java.

Local government official Rachmat said the reticulated python measured 48 feet 8 inches and weighed in at 983 pounds.

The Guinness Book of World Records lists the longest ever captured snake to be 32 feet. The heaviest -- a Burmese Python kept in Gurnee, Ill. -- weighs 402 pounds, the book said on its Web site.

The Indonesian newspaper Republika said the snake, which was caught last year but only recently put on public display, eats three or four dogs a month.

Reticulated pythons are the world's longest snakes. They are capable of eating animals as large as sheep, and have been known to attack and consume humans.

The species is native to the swamps and jungles of Southeast Asia.

We lived down on the Kenai , 1969-1976 and I know for sure, and you do too, that the most deadly snakes in the world live all over Alaska.

But as this is a clean humor site, I will speak no further of the dreaded "SNOW SNAKE". (:>)

I had a few of them "Snow Snakes" crawl up my pant legs when working in the oil fields of Colorado and Wyoming.

as luck would have it seems this snake has over night shrunk down to about 25 feet. Wounder if the tape he was using was the same one the guy tried using on my order from the lumber yard :D

Gun Runner

While we are on the subject of snakes, I recently saw a list of the worlds 20 most deadly snakes. Only 3 or 4 were NOT from Australia. The non Aus ones were the black mamba, the king cobra and the rattlesnake if I remember correctly. The Red Belly Black Snake is considered "not too dangerous" around here but is still in the top twenty!! When you live with them you get used to it though, I dont even worry about them when in the bush and even go in for a closer look or a photo.

I remember a show on PBS TV last year that feathured a man who went to investigate an area where it was said they have the largest snakes. The Anaconda! It is a snake that lives around water for the most part.

This man had take photo's of several snakes they did in fact catch, by walking bare foot through the lilly pads and stepping on them, thus a reaction and the fight is on to subdue the snake.

Now after about 2 weeks into this mass lake type area with lots of water vegetation. He got news of another area not to far from where they were set up originally. Once at the area, they started filming the found path of the snake in the muddy bank.

You could see the concern on the face of this man, who has a Doctorate degree in his field of study. The path of this giant snake.......was indeed close to 22 inches wide and over 7 inches deep into the mud. They never got to see the actual snake because he just packed up the next day for home. However estimates put the snake somewhere in the over 45 foot range and weight close to 1600 pounds or better.

Boy, these aren't anything I would ever want to run into. St. Patrick did a good job of ridding the snakes in Ireland, maybe we could have used him in a couple of other places!
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