Size of a snake

[madripoor_rose]

I'm trying to figure out how big a 18 foot python would be, just in the thickness of it's body, and then how large a space it would take coiled up, for a story idea about exotic animal smuggling

Comments

[madripoor_rose]

Thanks, that helps a lot!

I knew there was another word I should be googling, facepalm.

[nightmer]

Here's a Facebook page for Julius, a sadly deceased but very interesting Burmese Python: https://www.facebook.com/JuliusThePython

She was about 16 feet long, so the pictures would at least give you an idea for scale, if you don't find any better sources.

[madripoor_rose]

Oh, those pictures are great, thanks. She was a beautiful snake.

[magenta_girl]

I did a search for diameter of python. Here are two links:
http://www.ehow.com/list_6152033_characteristics-python-snake_.html

http://randompixels.blogspot.com/2009/08/biggest-python.html

The second link talks about a 20 foot python with a 12 inch diameter and it was living in an 18 inch crawl space. Coiled up, I think you'd probably be able to fit a fairly large snake in a not too large container.

[madripoor_rose]

That should help, thank you!

[magenta_girl]

Also I read about some smugglers who fit a 4.3 meter snake in a box in their car trunk, but they didn't say how big the box was.

[houseboatonstyx]

Wouldn't the diameter kind of depend on how long ago the snake ate, and whom?

[ffutures]

Basically, think of a very thick rope or a giant slinky the width of your arm and about 18 foot long that can coil up in any shape you can imagine. Call it say 12 square inches in diameter as a ballpark figure, that means it's 12 x 12 x 18 cubic inches, which is about 1.5 cubic feet. That's a medium-sized but very heavy suitcase.

Converting that to metric, we get about 42.5 litres. I happen to know that a large motorbike topbox is that size, which checks out with the medium-sized suitcase idea. Assuming it has about the usual average density of flesh and bone etc. which is roughly 1, that means it weighs 42.5 kilos, or roughly 93.5lb.

Expect to pay a LOT for excess baggage!

[ffutures]

later - having seen the picture magenta_girl linked to, you can at least double the thickness and quadruple the weight and the volume it will occupy. I never knew they got that big!

[madripoor_rose]

Thanks! Yeah, I might have to play with the size just to get the weight down.

The research is always the most interesting part of writing.

[houseboatonstyx]

I read that as "exotic animal snuggling". Carry on.

[madripoor_rose]

Heh, nah, then I'd be writing about snow leopard cubs!

[mmegaera]

So did I. Much more fun, although not with a snake large enough to squeeze me to death literally, thanks.