***Columbus Zoo, Exhibits & Information***
Video shows the world's largest exhibited snake striking, attacking, eating, swallowing, and engulfing prey. This video is unusual because it shows the full range of python behavior in an active snake.

Fluffy may soon be in the official record books as the longest snake to be raised in captivity.

Officials with the Guinness Book of World Records visited the Columbus Zoo in October 2009 to measure her. The record-holding longest snake died last year. Results are awaited.

Fluffy, a reticulated python, python reticulates, is over 24 feet long, 300 pounds, and 15 years old. Fluffy's waist is the size of a watermelon. Fluffy is a sweet snake with a wonderful disposition.

She is shown making both rapid and slow movements, striking, attacking (in self-defense), eating a rabbit, taking a bath, swimming, climbing, and making jerking or twitching movements. Although captive pythons are generally seen sleeping, this video shows a very active snake. She also sort of greeted the keepers - she raised her head right before they entered her room.

This may be the nearest anyone can come to seeing a real dinosaur for Fluffy is dinosaur-sized. She is also very primitive, for the python even has a vestigial pelvis and hind limbs, which are remnants of its lizard ancestry, and can be externally viewed. They are strong with powerful muscles.

Pythons are dangerous. They have killed and eaten people. They have a dangerous bite and can constrict around a person and squeeze them to death. Two people have to be in with her, one to protect the other. Pythons are ambush predators They remain motionless in a camouflaged position and then suddenly strike. They can swim and climb trees. They can unhinge their jaws to engulf large prey and eat prey that is much larger around than they are.

Fluffy has 57 children. Females incubate their eggs by coiling their body around them. They keep them at a constant 89 C. They even shiver to maintain the right temperature.

These snakes are very beautiful and suggest that the dinosaurs could also be colorful. They have striking skin patterns that include blotches, spots, bands and rings. They can resemble ground cover. Some have iridescent colors and some species can shift their skin colors. They can have complex geometric color patterns, including diamond and other shapes.

Fluffy was supposed to make an airplane trip, but it was cancelled after the movie, Snakes on a Plane, came out. She is pretty human, though. When she travels, they take her luggage.

Jack Hannah of the Columbus zoo has taken Fluffy on the David Letterman show. Here, Hanna said that Fluffy could get to be get 30-40 feet long, and live to be 50 years old.

According to Guinness World Records 2005, the world's longest snake was a reticulated python, which was 32 ft. 9.5 in. It was killed in Celebes, Indonesia, in 1912. Fluffy came to the zoo recently and the signs shown in the video give the information about her.

The Columbus Zoo, Ohio, is number 1 in the country USA Travel Guide (Columbus Dispatch 2009.03.01 p. A3)

More Fluffy videos:

WORLD'S LARGEST SNAKE, PYTHON, ON EXHIBIT at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWbMWX3tO8o

Shows Fluffy during a tornado
Longest Snake Tornado World's Elephant
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnqXoexJZjg

A very active snake shown being moved to an elephant enclosure can be seen at:
World's Largest Snake Danger Loose Walk Swim Climb Captivity
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBUSAB0G58g & at:
World's Largest Snake Danger Loose Walk Swim Climb Captivity Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hS1nqRcpCvA&feature=ch...

Watch Fluffy strike
STRIKE-Largest Snake Strikes Coils Attack Big Scary
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SuZYHMdfto

She is human in some ways-a python can live up to age 48-and when Fluffy travels, they take her luggage. They exercise her in the worlds largest indoor elephant exhibit, where a baby elephant was recently born. (less info)