'World's
largest snake' shrinks to half reported size
- The Guardian, January 4, 2004
The Guardian did exactly what 2Bangkok.com would
have done if the giant snake were in Thailand--they went
over and measured it themselves: If Fragrant ever extends
to 14.85m long he will be the most mind-boggling animal
on earth because I measured him at somewhere between 6.5
and 7m... None of the pythons Shine has encountered weighed
more than 100kg; he described the allegation that Fragrant
weighs up to 447kg as "delightful".
...Barker has two theories to account for the evolution
of the record claim. They both centre on an allegation by
Darmanto that Fragrant is in fact the spiritual ruler of
the Kubu, a remote Sumatran tribe that shuns the outside
world, and it took a year of negotiations with the elders
before he could take it away. "If this is a spiritual
ruler snake then perhaps it really can stretch and change
size," Barker says. "The other is that the true
giant snake remains in the jungle with the admiring tribe
and it took them the year of negotiations to find another
reticulated python] large enough to give to the government."
Earlier: World's
longest snake goes on show at tiny Indonesian zoo -
AFP, December 30, 2003
Also: World's
Largest Snake Caught - AP, December 29, 2003
Indonesian villagers claim to have captured a python
that is almost 49.21 feet long and weighs nearly 992.07
pounds, an official said Monday. If confirmed, it would
be the largest snake ever kept in captivity...
‘World’s largest snake’ shrinks to half reported size
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