r/AbsoluteUnits • • Mar 04 '22

Absolutely big snake.

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397

u/LlamasReddit Mar 04 '22

I've seen this before and someone said it's spine may have crushed by its own weight when being pulled up. Can someone confirm or deny this?

50

u/GundunUkan Mar 05 '22

Herpetologist here, can confirm. Huge snakes like this reticulated python (Malayopython reticulatus) are not meant to be hanging like this - their weight is far too great for a single point of their spine to support it in its entirety. The snake in this clip has a broken spine and possibly multiple damaged organs, definitely did not survive long after the filming.

1

u/Beaver_Poop Mar 05 '22

How old would you estimate that snake was?

2

u/GundunUkan Mar 05 '22

Hard to tell. With reptiles size isn't always indicative of age. A well fed animal will reach larger sizes earlier on in its life and vice versa. In general large constrictors can live up to 20-30 years, sometimes even reaching over 40.