Top 10 Heaviest Snakes in the World by Body Weight
On weights that are actually on record, a captive Burmese python named Baby (182.8 kg) is the heaviest snake. The green anaconda's best reliable figure is 97.5 kg, the heaviest of 780 wild snakes in one study, and heavier anaconda claims have never been firmly verified.
Updated October 18, 202610 ranked1 sources
Quick answer
The Burmese Python is the heaviest snake on record, at 182.8 kg for a captive female named Baby. The Reticulated Python is second at 158.8 kg, also captive, and the Green Anaconda third at 97.5 kg, its heaviest reliable wild weight. The ranking uses the heaviest non-doubtful weight per species in Wikipedia's List of largest snakes, revision of 14 October 2026.
The green anaconda is usually called the world's heaviest snake, and it probably is in the wild. The heaviest weights actually on record come from captivity, though. Well-fed zoo and private-collection pythons have been weighed far heavier than any anaconda whose weight has been verified.
This list ranks snake species by the heaviest weight recorded for each one in Wikipedia's List of largest snakes, which rates how reliable each figure is. Figures that page treats as doubtful are left out, and each entry says whether its record comes from a captive or a wild snake.
Heaviest recorded weight (kg)
Heaviest recorded weight (kg)
182.8
Burmese Python
158.8
Reticulated Python
97.5
Green Anaconda
91
Central African Rock Python
80
Southern African Rock Python
55
Yellow Anaconda
52
Indian Python
45
Boa Constrictor
40
Cuban Boa
35
Australian Scrub Python
The ranking
1
Burmese Python
A captive female named Baby, kept at Serpent Safari in Gurnee, Illinois, weighed 182.8 kg, a figure the source rates reliable. She was 5.74 m long and died in 2006. The heaviest Burmese python found in the wild weighed 98 kg: a 5.39 m female caught in the Florida Everglades in June 2022, where the species is invasive.
Scientific name: Python bivittatusHeaviest recorded: 182.8 kg (Baby, captive)Source rating: ReliableHeaviest wild: 98 kg (Florida, 2022)Native range: Southeast Asia (invasive in Florida)
2
Reticulated Python
Medusa, a captive female in Kansas City, Missouri, weighed 158.8 kg in 2011, a figure the source rates somewhat reliable. The reticulated python is the world's longest snake but is slimmer than the anaconda. The heaviest wild specimen the source rates reliable weighed 59 kg, after it had gone nearly three months without eating.
Scientific name: Malayopython reticulatusHeaviest recorded: 158.8 kg (Medusa, captive)Source rating: Somewhat reliableHeaviest wild: 59 kg (reliable, 1999)Native range: South and Southeast Asia
3
Green Anaconda
The heaviest green anaconda weight the source rates reliable is 97.5 kg. It was the heaviest of 780 wild anacondas caught over seven years (1992-98), a group that averaged far less. Reports of 227 kg, 170 kg and 130-147 kg exist, but the source rates all of them as questionable or not firmly verified. Even so, the species is generally considered the heaviest snake in the wild.
Scientific name: Eunectes murinusHeaviest recorded: 97.5 kg (wild)Source rating: ReliableHeaviest wild: 97.5 kg (1992-98 study)Native range: Northern South America
4
Central African Rock Python
Africa's largest snake has a reliably recorded maximum weight of 91 kg. A report of up to 113 kg is not firmly verified. The source treats it as a separate species from the Southern African rock python.
Scientific name: Python sebaeHeaviest recorded: 91 kgSource rating: ReliableHeaviest wild: Not statedNative range: Central and West Africa
5
Southern African Rock Python
The largest specimen on record weighed 80 kg, a figure the source rates somewhat reliable. Its reliable figure is 65 kg. Among 75 snakes measured in South Africa, the longest female weighed 53.4 kg.
Scientific name: Python natalensisHeaviest recorded: 80 kgSource rating: Somewhat reliableHeaviest wild: Not statedNative range: Southern Africa
6
Yellow Anaconda
Yellow anacondas commonly weigh 25-35 kg, but large specimens can reach 40-55 kg or more. The source gives no reliability rating for that range, and 55 kg is used here. The species lives in the Paraguay River basin.
Scientific name: Eunectes notaeusHeaviest recorded: 40-55 kg (large specimens)Source rating: UnratedHeaviest wild: Not statedNative range: Paraguay River basin, South America
7
Indian Python
The Indian python's reliably recorded maximum is 52 kg, and a 91 kg report is not firmly verified. It is now treated as a separate species from the Burmese python.
Scientific name: Python molurusHeaviest recorded: 52 kgSource rating: ReliableHeaviest wild: Not statedNative range: Indian subcontinent
8
Boa Constrictor
The source says the boa constrictor can weigh more than 45 kg but gives no reliability rating for that figure. A much larger length report for the species has been debunked.
Scientific name: Boa constrictorHeaviest recorded: More than 45 kgSource rating: UnratedHeaviest wild: Not statedNative range: Central and South America
9
Cuban Boa
The Cuban boa has a reliably recorded maximum of 40 kg, and another reliable record is 27 kg.
Scientific name: Chilabothrus anguliferHeaviest recorded: 40 kgSource rating: ReliableHeaviest wild: Not statedNative range: Cuba
10
Australian Scrub Python
Australia's largest snake has a reliably recorded weight of 35 kg. It is now treated as a separate species from the amethystine python (Simalia amethistina), which the source says can reach 20 kg.
Scientific name: Simalia kinghorniHeaviest recorded: 35 kgSource rating: ReliableHeaviest wild: Not statedNative range: Queensland, Australia
Full comparison
#
Name
Scientific name
Heaviest recorded
Source rating
Heaviest wild
Native range
1
Burmese Python
Python bivittatus
182.8 kg (Baby, captive)
Reliable
98 kg (Florida, 2022)
Southeast Asia (invasive in Florida)
2
Reticulated Python
Malayopython reticulatus
158.8 kg (Medusa, captive)
Somewhat reliable
59 kg (reliable, 1999)
South and Southeast Asia
3
Green Anaconda
Eunectes murinus
97.5 kg (wild)
Reliable
97.5 kg (1992-98 study)
Northern South America
4
Central African Rock Python
Python sebae
91 kg
Reliable
Not stated
Central and West Africa
5
Southern African Rock Python
Python natalensis
80 kg
Somewhat reliable
Not stated
Southern Africa
6
Yellow Anaconda
Eunectes notaeus
40-55 kg (large specimens)
Unrated
Not stated
Paraguay River basin, South America
7
Indian Python
Python molurus
52 kg
Reliable
Not stated
Indian subcontinent
8
Boa Constrictor
Boa constrictor
More than 45 kg
Unrated
Not stated
Central and South America
9
Cuban Boa
Chilabothrus angulifer
40 kg
Reliable
Not stated
Cuba
10
Australian Scrub Python
Simalia kinghorni
35 kg
Reliable
Not stated
Queensland, Australia
How we ranked this
Species are ranked by the heaviest body weight given for them in the table in Wikipedia's List of largest snakes (revision of 14 October 2026). Figures the page itself flags as doubtful are excluded: 'not firmly verified', 'unverified', 'questionable', 'citation needed' and averages. That rule removes the green anaconda's 227 kg, 170 kg and 130-147 kg reports, the Central African rock python's 113 kg and the Indian python's 91 kg. Every other figure is used whatever rating the page gives it ('reliable', 'somewhat reliable' or unrated), and each entry states that rating. Captive and wild records are ranked together, and each entry says which kind it is. Captive snakes are often heavier than any wild snake of their species. The Beni anaconda's 35 kg would tie for tenth, but it is marked 'citation needed' and is excluded. Rank 1 is the heaviest.
FAQ
What is the heaviest snake in the world?
It depends on what counts. The heaviest snake weight on record is 182.8 kg, for Baby, a captive Burmese python. In the wild, the green anaconda is generally considered the heaviest species. Its heaviest reliably recorded weight is 97.5 kg, and heavier reports of up to 227 kg have never been firmly verified.
Which is longer, the anaconda or the reticulated python?
The reticulated python. The longest reticulated python length on record is 7.92 m and the longest green anaconda length is 6.32 m, both from the same source. The anaconda is far bulkier for its length.
Why do captive snakes outweigh wild ones?
Captive snakes often get more food, move less and are treated for parasites, so they can grow much heavier than wild snakes of the same species. Anacondas are hard to keep in captivity, which is one reason pythons hold the heaviest captive records.
Has anyone verified a 250 kg anaconda?
No. Wikipedia's List of largest snakes calls the 227 kg figure questionable. The other big reports are a 170 kg wild snake from Acre, Brazil, which it calls unverified but plausible, and a captive snake in France at 130-147 kg, which is not firmly verified.
The ten snakes with the most potent venom by subcutaneous LD50 in mice, in saline: from the inland taipan's 0.025 mg/kg to the mainland tiger snake's 0.118 mg/kg.
The reticulated python is the world's longest snake. Its longest recorded length is 7.92 m, for a captive python named Samantha, and the green anaconda's is 6.32 m. Two ties at the bottom put 11 species on this top 10.