The reticulated python is the longest snake in the world. Big ones are about 5 to 7 meters long. As of November 2026, zoo pages give 10 meters as the longest on record.

Zoo pages say a python can weigh up to about 75 kilograms, or 165 pounds. Female pythons are larger than males.

These pythons live from western Bangladesh to southeastern Vietnam, and on islands to the south. They live in tropical forests, often near ponds, rivers and streams. They like temperatures of about 24 to 34 degrees Celsius and high humidity.

Young pythons spend a lot of time off the ground in trees and bushes, while big adults stay mostly on the ground.

A python hunts by waiting in ambush until food comes close. It has many sharp teeth that curve backwards. It has no venom.

Small pythons eat mostly rodents. As they grow they take larger animals such as pigs and deer. A python swallows its food whole.

A mother python coils around her eggs and shivers her muscles to make heat that keeps the eggs warm. A clutch usually holds about 25 to 50 eggs. Python eggs hatch after about 80 to 90 days.

The bigger a female python is, the more eggs she lays. Male pythons begin to breed at about 7 to 9 feet long, and females at about 11 feet long.

As of November 2026, the IUCN Red List lists the reticulated python as Least Concern.

A newly hatched python is roughly 55 to 75 centimeters long. In the wild, these pythons live about 15 to 22 years.

Words to know

• ambush: wait to catch
• clutch: group of eggs
• humidity: wet air
• rodents: rats and mice