Indonesian villagers claim to have captured a python that is almost 49.21 feet (15 meters) long and weighs nearly 992.07 pounds (450 kilograms), a local official said Monday.

If confirmed, it would be the largest snake ever kept in captivity.

Local daily, Republika, splashed two photographs on its back page of a large, fat reptile lying coiled in a box. But it was difficult to confirm the claim as there were no measuring tapes or objects beside the snake to compare its size.

Hundreds of people have flocked to see the snake at a primitive zoo in Curugsewu village on the country's main island of Java, the daily reported.

Local government official Rachmat said the reticulated python measured 49 feet (14.85 meters) and weighed in at 985 pounds (447 kilograms ).

The Guinness Book of World Records lists the longest ever captured snake to be 32 feet (9.75 meters). The heaviest -- a Burmese Python kept in Gurnee, Illinois -- weighs 403 pounds (182.76 kilograms), the book said on its Web site.

Republika said the snake, which was caught last year but only recently put on public display, eats three or four dogs a month.

Reticulated pythons are the world's longest snakes. They are capable of eating animals as large as sheep, and have been known to attack and consume humans.

The species is native to the swamps and jungles of Southeast Asia.

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