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Pythons don’t typically pose a huge threat to humans compared to some of their more venomous counterparts, but it’s becoming increasingly difficult to argue that’s the case in Indonesia after a missing woman was discovered in the belly of one about a month after a similar tragedy struck the country.
The thousands of islands that make up Indonesia are home to hundreds of unique species of snakes, including a wide variety of vipers and cobras that you generally want to avoid due to the potentially deadly nature of their bites.
The country is also home to a fair share of pythons, and while they can pack a powerful punch with their jaws, the main threat these non-venomous animals pose to humans is their ability to lock their prey to death in minutes before swallowing it whole.
The longest snake in recorded history was a reticulated python that was shot in Sulawesi, Indonesia in 1912 and measured nearly 33 feet. Over the years, this species has been linked to a number of documented deaths in the country involving people who were unfortunate enough to encounter them in the wild.
Earlier this month, a missing woman became the fifth person to be discovered inside a python in Indonesia since 2017, and according to ABC NewsThis number has now unfortunately increased to six due to what happened in the same province (South Sulawesi) last week.
The media outlet reports that the latest victim had disappeared after going to get medicine before her husband discovered her pants and slippers on a path about half a kilometer from her home. He then spotted a snake with a distended belly in the immediate vicinity and quickly recruited other villagers to kill it before they opened its carcass and discovered his wife’s body.
The exact species and length of the snake were not specified in the report, but all indications are that a reticulated python was the culprit.
It’s something absolutely terrifying.
