[Ibu Baron Snake/ Photo Credit to Pexels]

A huge reticulated python, found living in the tropical forests of Sulawesi, Indonesia, has broken the Guinness World Record for the longest wild snake ever measured.

The snake has been nicknamed Ibu Baron, which means “The Baroness.” 

She measures 23 feet 8 inches, or 7.22 meters long.

This outstanding record was officially confirmed on January 18, 2026. 

Before “The Baroness,” the record for the longest reticulated python belonged to another individual measuing 22 feet  10 inches long.

That snake was found in 1999 in Malaysia. 

Even though that snake was also very big, “The Baroness” is a lot bigger, making her even more impressive than any other snake living in the wild.

Ibu Baron was first seen in late 2025 by local villagers.

Although the people living there were accustomed to seeing big snakes, Ibu Baron especially stood out. 

Even at first glance, they recognized the uniqueness of this snake.

Upon hearing the news, wildlife experts Diaz Nurgraha and Radu Frentiu traveled to Sulawesi to find the snake.

After an extensive search, they finally spotted the giant snake slithering across the forest floor.

The researchers were extremely cautious when approaching Ibu Baron, as they did not want to hurt or scare her.

They used a long measuring tape to determine her length, then  gently lifted her into a strong sling to weigh her safely.

Despite not having eaten recently, Ibu Baron still weighed an impressive 213 pounds (96.5 kilograms).

One of the experts stated that he had never seen a snake of this size before.

He even added that a snake this size could swallow very large animals, such as a calf or even an adult cow.

Following the team’s research on “The Baroness,” she was taken to a local conservationist named Budi Purwanto.

Purwanto rescues snakes and ensures they are kept safe.

This work is important because as forests shrink, snakes sometimes move into the villages to search for food.

When this happens, villagers may panic and try to kill them. 

 By keeping Ibu Baron in a safe enclosure, both the snake and the people remain safe.

Reticulated pythons are native to Southeast Asia and are renowned as the longest snakes in the world.

They are not venomous, so they don’t kill their prey with poison.

Instead, they wrap their bodies around their prey and squeeze until the animal can no longer breathe. 

Ibu Baron preys on many kinds of animals, including rodents, pigs, deers, and sometimes livestock if she gets too close to human settlements.

Even though these snakes are not currently endangered, they still face threats such as habitat loss and conflict with humans.

This makes conservation efforts, like the one helping Ibu Baron, incredibly important for their survival.