If you have a fear of snakes, you might want to give this news a skip.
The National Aquarium’s latest addition is an excellent swimmer, weighs 115kg, and, when measured, needs 12 people to hold it at full length.
Super Snake is believed to be the largest known living snake in the world. It’s a seven-metre reticulated python, and has moved into The National Aquarium at Al Qana in Abu Dhabi.
The snake will live at the Flooded Forest Zone in the aquarium along with more than 8,000 rainforest creatures. Visitors will be able to meet the snake soon at The National Aquarium (and by meet, we hope they mean see… from a distance).
The reticulated python is native to South and Southeast Asia, and is the world’s longest snake. It can grow to more than five metres long in the wild, with the largest ever recorded at ten metres. The species is non-venomous; it kills its prey by wrapping itself around the victim and constricting tighter as they exhale. The python’s jaws are very flexible, allowing them to stretch around large prey and swallow them whole. A full-grown python can even open its jaws wide enough to swallow a person. Yikes.
These creatures are widely feared because of their size and ferocity, and are among the few snakes that actually prey on humans (you heard us).
If you aren’t quivering yet, The National Aquarium also has the largest collection of sharks and rays with more than 200 creatures swimming in its waters.
It’s the only place in the UAE where you can see scalloped hammer head sharks and bull sharks. Plus you’ll also be able to watch sand tiger sharks, lemon sharks, zebra sharks, black tip reef sharks, eagle rays, shovelnose rays, cownose rays, and freshwater rays, among others – not to mention hundreds of other species of marine life.
Visitors can see all the wildlife and Super Snake (if they dare) when the National Aquarium opens on November 12. It will be open Sunday to Wednesday 10am to 8pm and Thursday to Saturday 10am to 10pm. In accordance with the Abu Dhabi authorities, visitors aged 16 and above will require green status on the AlHosn app and a PCR test that’s less than 96 hours old.
Visiting the new aquarium is the perfect opportunity to see some incredible and powerful creatures up close. We’re in, but we’re not going swimming.
…And let’s keep plenty of glass between us and Super Snake.
Dhs105 (general admission), Dhs130 (Beyond the Glass), Dhs150 (Bu Tinah Dhow), Dhs200 (Fast Track). Opens Nov 12. The National Aquarium, Al Qana alqana.ae.
Looking for great things to do in Abu Dhabi?
Catch live theatre at Erth
Alice in Wonderland, MJ History and Meet the Beatles all in the offing.
Read more here.
Expo 2020 Dubai has unveiled two new attractions
A garden in the sky and water that flows backwards, as if we needed another reason to be hyped about the expo.
Read more here.
Get tickets to UFC
The Blackowicz vs Teixeira fight will take place on Saturday October 30.
Read more here.
