A giant snake was discovered under a construction site in Malaysia which could break the record for the longest snake ever captured with first estimates of eight meters long.

This reticulated python is a native species found in different parts of Southeast Asia, which is also considered to be a long snake species which was spotted by workers who were building a flyover in Paya Terubong in the island of Penang. 

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According to a Malaysian wildlife department official, Herme Herisyam, workers from the construction site immediately called the local emergency services on Thursday where authorities were able to investigate and devise a plan to trap the giant python, taking 30 minutes to capture the reptile. He adds that the snake is eight meters in length, weighing about 250 kilograms.

On Monday, the python was announced to have perished after giving birth on Sunday, Herisyam says that the snake was caught last Thursday but mysteriously died after laying a single egg. To date, experts say that it is still not clear why the snake died after giving birth. The Malaysian Star news website also released a video showing a man kicking the python.

Today, the longest snake ever in captivity listed by the Guinness Book of World Records belongs to Medusa which is also a reticulated python living in Missouri which is housed under the The Edge of Hell Haunted House in Kansas. This female snake is measured at 7.67 meters long and is still the longest snake to date since 2011. Medusa weighs 158.8 kilograms which is more than 90 kilograms lighter than the Penang python.

Prior to Medusa holding this title, the previous record for the longest snake in captivity was Fluffy that measured 7.3 meters who died last 2010 when it was 18 years old.

Reticulated pythons possess a distinct grid-like pattern on their skin hence their name, which normally grows from three to six meters long, where their habitats are mainly near and in the water. Experts also believe that there are longer snakes out in the wild where a python was found and shot in Indonesia that was reportedly 10 meters long.