The Most Expensive Snake In The World
The most expensive snake to ever be sold was likely a high-blue morph of a green tree python. While we can’t confirm that the sale happened, a few international news sites claim that the sale of the snake amounted to the equivalent of $445,800 US dollars. The green tree python is a somewhat common pet snake found natively in Australia and some parts of Indonesia. The snake is normally bright green, but some breeders can express a specific gene that makes it bright blue. The resulting snake is vibrant, stunning, and looks so cool you would think it is fake. Green tree pythons can be bought for a few hundred dollars, but the high-blue morph isn’t very common and rarely goes up for sale when they are born. If the sale for $445k is real, it would likely be the most expensive snake ever to be publicly sold.
Honorable Mentions For The Most Expensive Snakes Ever Sold
Although topping $445k is tough, there are a few species of snake that most definitely make the list for extravagant purchases. Let’s go through some of the most expensive snakes by species and see what people have paid for these scaly reptiles. Want a new snake? Better sell your home!
Ball Pythons
Ball pythons are some of the most famous pet snakes in the world. They can be found in almost every pet store and make for great pet snakes. In most cases, the natural coloration and pattern of a ball python are what you will most commonly find on the market. As a result, a “normal” ball python can be found for as little as $50-$100. However, the most expensive ball python ever sold is a different story. Like most other snakes, the price of ball python spikes when a new morph is found and lowers as people start to breed them. The most expensive ball python ever was sold by the breeder, Peter Kahl, when he sold it to Chad Brown for a cool $125,000. The ball python was a new morph known as an “ivory” and was a combination of two yellowbelly morphs. The resulting snake was totally white with black eyes. Today, ivory ball pythons cost around $200.
Corn Snakes
While we couldn’t find much information on the single most expensive purchase of a corn snake, we do have information on the most expensive corn snake morph currently on the market. Right now, the most expensive corn snake morph is likely a palmetto or scaleless corn snake, but varying combinations of these morphs could also be just as expensive. When the palmetto morph first came out, breeders weren’t selling them for anything under $4,000. Nowadays, the price has since dropped to around $500. Scaleless morphs were first sold for thousands of dollars and are now sold for $500+.
Western Hognose Snakes
Western hognose snakes are growing in popularity as pet snakes. Since they are less common, these snakes naturally go for a bit more than other, more common pet snakes. Right now, the most expensive western hognose on the market is a super arctic sunburst anaconda going for $11,000. Besides that specific morph, leucistic hognose morphs regularly go for upwards of $6,000.
Kenyan Sand Boas
Kenyan sand boas might be the cutest snakes on our list, but specialty morphs don’t come cheap! The most expensive Kenyan sand boa morph available right now is probably between an albino-mix or a snow-mix, both going for over $700 apiece. As far as our list goes, these are relatively cheap! Thankfully, a standard Kenyan sand boa only costs $75, so entry-level snakes are affordable.
California Kingsnakes
California kingsnakes are common snakes in the wild of the United States and are becoming more popular as pets. Thankfully, even the specialty morphs of these snakes are relatively inexpensive compared to others. The most expensive California kingsnake morph right now is the super-high white albino or some close variation of it. These morphs go for around $300+, a fraction of the cost of some of the other rare morphs we’ve looked at today. A standard California kingsnake will run you around $100 at most.
Rosy Boas
The rosy boa belongs to the same subfamily that Kenyan sand boas do and have a similar price point. The most expensive rosy boa morph right now is some type of stripe-cross morph. Striped axanthics, striped albinos, and anerys go for around $300-$600. Standard rosy boas cost around $300.
What Makes A Snake So Expensive?
Two key factors determine the price of a snake, but availability is underlying. The two things that affect cost are the species and the morph, but both depend on availability. Some species are less common than others and, therefore, more expensive. If a species hasn’t been bred in captivity for a long time, they are often more expensive since they are harder to source. When there are thousands of breeders around the world that breed a species, the price of the snake is reduced. Within a species, the price is mainly affected by morph. The “standard” coloration and pattern of a snake is called its wildtype. Any unique colors, patterns, or characteristics that a breeder can reliably produce are marketed as morphs. An albino morph, for example, is a morph that can’t produce melanin, a darkening pigment, in their skin. When a morph first comes out, it is extremely expensive because nobody has it. As it is further bred and more breeders get their hands on it, it becomes more common, reducing the price.
