National Geographic<\/a>. \u201cAnd if it goes there, it will almost certainly be killed.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Snake](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/snake-rescuer-budi-purwanto-runs-a-shelter-for-rescued-pythons-1-1200x903.jpg\")
Snake rescuer Budi Purwanto runs a shelter for rescued pythons. He saved the record-breaking snake Ibu Baron, a name which means \u201cThe Baroness,\u201d and is currently caring for her. Credit: Radu Frentiu, Diaz Nugraha<\/p>\n
The tension between humans and large snakes in Indonesia has intensified as habitat shrinks. Nugraha told Guinness World Records that appearances of giant snakes are increasing \u201cbecause their habitats are reducing and availability of the snake\u2019s natural food is decreasing likely as the result of poaching, meaning pythons are coming into contact with people more often than in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n
Why She Might Be Even Longer than Advertised<\/p>\n
The 7.22-metre measurement was taken using a surveyor\u2019s tape following the snake\u2019s natural curves while awake. Under anaesthesia, snake muscles fully relax, potentially adding length. Guinness World Records notes that Ibu Baron could measure at least 10 per cent longer under such conditions, approximately 7.9 metres, but states that animals should only be anaesthetised for safety reasons or necessary medical procedures, not for measurement verification.<\/p>\n
The previous scientifically measured wild reticulated python of notable size was a 6.95-metre female found in East Kalimantan, Borneo, in August 1999, documented in the Raffles Bulletin of Zoology in 2005 after it consumed a sun bear fitted with a tracking device.<\/p>\n
![\"Radu](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/radu-frentiu-budi-purwanto-and-villagers-from-south-sulawesi-1200x903.jpg\")
Radu Frentiu, Budi Purwanto and villagers from south Sulawesi, Indonesia, lift \u201cThe Baroness\u201d for a group photo after her measurements were taken. At least eight people were needed to safely handle the snake at any one time. Credit: Radu Frentiu, Diaz Nugraha<\/p>\n
Captive snakes have reached greater lengths, benefiting from regular feeding and veterinary care. Medusa, a reticulated python housed in Kansas City, Missouri, measured 7.67 metres in October 2011, holding the record for longest snake in captivity. A Columbus Zoo specimen named Fluffy measured at least 7.3 metres in September 2009.<\/p>\n
What a Record-Breaking Snake Means for Local Villages<\/p>\n
The documentation team hopes Ibu Baron\u2019s record status may shift local perceptions. Frentiu said the intention is for pythons \u201cto no longer be seen as vermin, but rather as a symbol of the islands and necessary animals to the ecosystem.\u201d He suggested herpetological tourism, \u201cherping\u201d expeditions to observe reptiles, could generate revenue for local communities.<\/p>\n
Nugraha advocates for stronger legal protections. \u201cMy opinion is more towards stricter safeguarding, accompanied by strong laws for preserving the forest which is the habitat of the snake, as well as a ban on killing snakes in protected areas,\u201d he told Guinness World Records.<\/p>\n
Whether larger wild snakes<\/a> exist remains an open question. Asked if bigger specimens are likely, Nugraha responded: \u201cI think so, yes. How big? It is quite realistic to expect snakes of 9 metres or even larger exist somewhere, quite possibly again in Indonesia, if not in the Amazon Basin.\u201d<\/p>\nThe prehistoric record far exceeds modern specimens. Fossil species Titanoboa cerrejonensis from 58, 60 million years ago reached an estimated 15 metres, while Vasuki indicus, described from Indian fossils in April 2024, is estimated at 10.9 to 15.2 metres.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A reticulated python discovered in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, late last year has been formally confirmed as the longest…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":301792,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[111,139,69,147,406],"class_list":["post-301791","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wildlife","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-science","tag-wildlife"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/301791","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=301791"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/301791\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/301792"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=301791"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=301791"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=301791"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Photographer](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/photographer-radu-frentiu-documented-weighed-and-measured-the-giant-snake-ibu-baron-1200x900.jpg\")
Photographer Radu Frentiu documented, weighed and measured the giant snake Ibu Baron. For this photo of himself with Ibu Baron, he used a drone for better perspective due to the snake\u2019s enormous size. Credit: Radu Frentiu, Diaz Nugraha<\/p>\n