A super long python was recently captured in Malaysia, and was once thought to be the longest snake ever taken into captivity. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t live to hold the record, or even to tell the tale, as the snake has reportedly passed away just days after its capture.
The monstrous snake was estimated to be about 8 meters long, but actual measurements put the snake at about 7.5 meters in length, which The Guardian notes is only 17 centimeters shorter than the current first-place record-holder for longest captive snake.
Because the python died just days after its capture, many are speculating that the forces who took the snake captive did not handle it correctly, which led to its premature death.
Of course, those in blame are coming up with other reasons, going as far as to suggest that the python may have killed itself in a suicidal act. Of course, snake experts don’t agree with this theory.
“Snakes don’t just drop dead. If they die there is a reason,” snake expert Raymond Hoser told The Guardian. The most likely reason is injuries sustained when caught or after being caught. Snakes are relatively delicate animals. If they used a noose to catch the snake, that has caused the injury that has caused the death.”
The current record-holder for longest captive snake is Medusa, which measured in a 7.67 meters in length in 2011. Although Medusa is longer than the snake that just recently passed away, the deceased snake actually weighed close to 2/3 more at 551 pounds.
It’s a sad day for snake lovers who would have loved to see the monstrously-sized beast set free again into the wild. Perhaps next time, the snake will be handled correctly (or better yet, just left alone in its habitat) and live to tell the tale...
Source: The Guardian
