Reaching lengths of seven metres or more, the reticulated python is the world’s longest and third heaviest snake. It kills by constriction, squeezing the life from its prey, before swallowing it whole.
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- At 10 metres long this snake is not only the world's longest and heaviest, but one of the deadliest too, capable of swallowing a human whole
But it's not undefeated - meet eight animals that can kill it.
8 animals that can kill a reticulated python
Saltwater crocodile
Although reticulated pythons are mainly found in rainforests, woodlands and grasslands, they are strong swimmers and sometimes take to the water. Huge mistake! Saltwater crocodiles are one of the few animals big and ballsy enough to take down an adult snake.
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Ambush predators, they lurk silently in murky waters, before launching an explosive attack at the snake’s head or mid-body. With the strongest bite of any living animal, a saltwater croc can easily crush a snake, but if the snake struggles on, the croc will spin it around – the death roll – and drag it down to drown it.
King cobra
King cobras don’t grow as large as reticulated pythons, nor do they constrict their prey. Instead, they immobilise their victims with a potent venom which they inject via specialized hollow fangs. King cobras routinely hunt other snakes, including other king cobras and reticulated pythons.
In one epic battle, posted to YouTube, a king cobra landed its fatal blow, as the constricting python stopped the cobra’s heart. The result? A double knock out, from which neither snake recovered.
Clouded leopard
Clouded leopards are medium-sized wild cats covered in dark, cloud-like blotches. They’re smart, agile predators that largely know their limits, and are unlikely to attack an adult python. Small to medium-sized reticulated pythons, however, are fair game, alongside birds, wild boar and smaller mammals.
Relative to their body size, clouded leopards have the longest canine teeth of any wild cat, and an enormous, 100 degree gape. They go for the head or mid-body of the snake, then lock in with their powerful jaws.
Humans
Humans are the reticulated python’s biggest threat. In south and southeast Asia where they live, the snakes are hunted for their skin, for use in traditional medicine and for sale as pets. Habitat destruction adds to their woes, as do killings from fear and from farmers who lose livestock to them. Despite this, population studies show no evidence of systemic decline, but as larger snakes are disproportionately targeted, the number of truly giant reticulated pythons has decreased.
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Tiger
Encounters between tigers and reticulated pythons are rare, primarily because both species know better than to pick a fight they could lose. Sometimes, however, spats do occur and when this happens, the tiger often wins. A large, reticulated python weighs around 100kg. Adult tigers can weigh up to three times more. They’re also muscular and agile, with powerful claws and lethal jaws.
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One video, posted to Instagram, shows the aftermath of one such encounter, as an adult tiger struts into the distance with a python in his mouth.
Monitor lizards
A fully grown adult reticulated python is more than capable of overpowering and eating an adult monitor lizard but monitor lizards can and do consume small to medium sized pythons. The four-legged reptiles kill through a combination of venom, physical restraint, violent shaking and blunt trauma – struggling prey is frequently whipped or smashed against the ground.
In 2024, a monitor lizard was filmed eating a large python near the Kallang River in central Singapore. It took two days to polish the whole snake off!
Herons and hawks
Adult reticulated pythons may be long and tough, but eggs and hatchlings are little and juicy. Female reticulated pythons lay 15 to 80 soft, leathery eggs, which then hatch into 60 centimetre-long juveniles around three months later. Mother snakes incubate and guard their eggs, but herons, hawks and other big birds will snatch eggs and babies if they can. Ditto small mammals, such as civets and mongooses, which sometimes deliberately disturb nests to get at the eggs inside.
Wild pigs
Southeast Asia has lots of wild pigs, including wild boar and bearded pigs. The animals are omnivores, meaning they’ll eat whatever they can get their snouts on. This includes the eggs of ground-nesting birds and reptiles, including reticulated pythons. Reticulated pythons lay their eggs in natural shelters, such as piles of debris or tree hollows. Should a wild boar stumble across an unprotected site, the eggs don’t last long.
Top image credit: agus fitriyanto/Getty Images
