Pythons are a diverse class of snakes, ranging from the relatively docile ball pythons that many people keep as pets to the giant Burmese or reticulated pythons that can grow to reach sizes of 30 feet in length or more. The term “anaconda” simply refers to one of these especially large snakes. While large snakes primarily stick to non-human food, occasionally there are cases of pythons eating people, particularly children and small women. Here are some stories of anaconda attacks on people:

Python swallows woman whole
In July of 2024 in the country of India, a 36-year-old mother of five was attacked and swallowed whole by a 30-foot long reticulated python. She was walking along a jungle path to buy medicine for one of her kids when she encountered the snake that would eat her.

When the mother, identified as Siriati, didn’t return home, her husband, Adiansa, retraced her route. There he found the giant snake with a “very large” lump in its belly and legs still protruding from his mouth. Adiansa killed the snake with a wooden stake, and then he and other villagers helped retrieve the body.

Though such attacks are rare, this was actually the second time within the span of a month that a python had swallowed someone in the South Sulawesi province.