# Python of 7.22 m and 96.5 kg measured in Sulawesi, Indonesia, as the longest documented wild snake

- Published: 2026-11-14 18:38 UTC
- Section: Life & Health › Biology & biochemistry
- Tags: longest wild snake, python 7.22 m, Ibu Baron, Sulawesi python, how to measure a snake, Medusa reticulated python, Titanoboa cerrejonensis, Vasuki indicus, Indonesia reptiles
- URL: https://realtech.media/news/rt-429561df57e68a5ecacf027c_python_of_7/

**A female python named Ibu Baron was measured with a surveyor's tape on 18 January; it is the longest documented wild snake, with Guinness World Records describing the procedure.**

![Python of 7.22 m and 96.5 kg measured in Sulawesi, Indonesia, as the longest documented wild snake](https://realtech.media/media/2026/11/562dba24a616b55f.webp)
*science-et-vie.com*

On 18 January, experts in Sulawesi, Indonesia, measured a female python nicknamed Ibu Baron at 7.22 metres and weighed her at 96.5 kilograms, according to science-et-vie.com. The snake is officially recognised as the longest wild snake documented under rigorous criteria [1]. The length was taken with a surveyor's tape that follows the curves of the body, and the weight on scales normally used for sacks of rice [1].

## How the length of a snake is measured

A python's body consists of hundreds of vertebrae linked by compressible cartilaginous discs. The distance from head to tail therefore changes slightly with posture and muscle activity [1]. Each figure corresponds to a specific moment in the life of a moving animal.

Anesthesia was ruled out. A fully relaxed snake could show a length 10 to 15% greater, but sedating an animal is justified only for medical or safety reasons [1]. Guinness World Records describes the procedure in detail in its article on Ibu Baron [1].

Larger individuals have been reported over the decades, notably in Indonesia and Malaysia, but few were measured and recorded with comparable precision [1]. The longest snake in captivity remains Medusa, a reticulated python measured at 7.67 metres in Missouri in 2011 [1].

## Why modern snakes stay smaller than fossil ones

Titanoboa cerrejonensis, described from Colombian fossils 58 to 60 million years old, is estimated at 13 to 15 metres and more than a tonne. Vasuki indicus, known from vertebrae found in India, has an estimate of 10.9 to 15.2 metres [1]. Against these extinct snakes, the current record shows that present-day climatic and ecological conditions set much stricter limits [1].

A large python must catch sizeable prey to maintain its muscle mass, and its energy needs grow with size, which makes exceptional individuals rarer [1]. IFLScience reports that local guides see more encounters between pythons and residents as natural prey such as wild boar decline. These encounters often end with the snake being killed [1].

Some specialists consider individuals of nearly nine metres plausible in remote parts of Southeast Asia. There is no guarantee, however, that researchers will be able to measure them [1].

## Sources

1. [science-et-vie.com](https://www.science-et-vie.com/nature-et-environnement/animaux/record-du-monde-voici-le-plus-grand-serpent-jamais-mesure-long-de-7-metres-22-et-pesant-plus-de-96-kilogrammes-231124.html)

---

Source: RealTech, realtech.media — https://realtech.media/news/rt-429561df57e68a5ecacf027c_python_of_7/