World’s Longest Snake Recorded in Indonesia’s Sulawesi Forests

The longest wild snake ever to be formally measured and documented is a female reticulated python, Ibu Baron, which is 7.22 meters (23 feet 8 inches) in length. 

The gigantic snake found in the thick shrubberies of the Sulawesi island of Maros in the Indonesian region towards the end of 2025 has a weight of around 96.5 kilograms and is a monumental discovery in the herpetological world. 

Budi Purwanto, a conservationist, came in to save her when she was reported to have been mishandled and measured by the locals to avoid possible damage by the villagers. 

The snake was affectionately named Ibu Baron or The Baroness, and on January 18, 2026, she was humanly evaluated and freed into her natural habitat with no injuries. 

Where has the World’s Longest Snake been found?

The giant python was discovered in the rocky wooded habitats of the Maros region of Sulawesi, one of the biodiversity hot spots in Indonesia, with its distinctive karst scenery and abundance of wildlife. 

Ibu Baron was initially noticed by the local communities when they began hearing about the disappearance of livestock and this led to immediate intervention by the wildlife professionals. 

Limestone caves, thick tropical vegetation, seasonal rivers found in this area make the habitat of reticulated pythons ideal as they grow to exceptional sizes because of the large prey animals such as wild pigs, deer and monkeys. 

The discovery highlights the importance of Sulawesi as a global repository of megafauna as human activity in Sulawesi is minimal in comparison to more densely populated islands such as Java. 

The team of Purwanto maneuvered through difficult terrain to access her and play on the point of remoteness and purity of the location that ensured this snake was able to develop to maturity unhindered.

How was the snake weighed and confirmed?

Scientific accuracy was applied to measurement to prevent historical exaggeration that is usually found in the records of snakes. 

A professional surveyor tape that was used to measure her head-to-tail length in a straight line on several occasions confirmed the measurements of 7.22 meters by experts Diaz Nugraha, a certified wildlife handler, and photographer Radu Frentiu. 

At capture she weighed her at 96.5 kg on calibrated scales of rice, fasting. Verification of the process was done by Guinness World Records by video recording, photographs and professional testifications and followed very rigid ethical standards, no anesthesia, no stretching and complete liberation after the procedure. This scientific procedure outshines anecdotal arguments and sets an unquestionable standard of wild reptile records.

What is the Longest Snake in the world?

Ibu Baron is a species of the Malayopython reticulatus reticulated pythons (the largest species of snakes in the world), native to Southeast Asia, Indonesia to the Philippines. 

Her size and that of females like her is often larger than that of the males who are always bigger in size, and her size stretched the limit of the biological world. 

Their unusual net-like (reticulated) scale patterns give them camouflage(s) in the forest and strong muscles are found to constrict large prey. 

Pythons Reticulated pythons are ambush predators that can feed on animals as large as their own bodies, including in some isolated instances human beings as well, which supports the cautionary advice in endemic areas.

Why is this Biological Discovery Important?

This record indicates a positive predator-prey relationship in the Sulawesi ecosystems where there is plenty of food and little disturbance by humans, thus giants such as Ibu Baron grow to full size. 

It outweighs previous confirmed wild records (around 7 meters) and competes with captive records, such as Medusa (7.67m in 2016), confirming unverified historical records of 10-meter pythons. 

The discovery offers plenty of information on growth rates, genetics and habitat requirements and contributes to conservation with the threats of deforestation and illegal trade of pets. 

The fact that she is of a good size means that she has healthy populations and there is hope that the species can withstand it.

What were the Old Snake Records?

Ibu Baron is the highest known verified wild measurement, surpassing a 7-meter Burmese python in 2016 and massively surpassing the average reticulated measurements (4-5m). 

Optimized feeding causes the records of captives to be greater, whereas wild verification is more infrequent and prestigious. 

The Guinness-registered length of Ibu Baron does not only re-write the records of reptiles but glorifies the ecological marvels of Sulawesi and the strength of conservation through ethics. This story breathes awe to the world by combining local vigilance with scientific rigor and it calls on the world to protect the wild spaces where the giants of nature still exist in their freedom.

Also Read: Who is Rouble Nagi? Indian Won Global Teacher Prize 2026