The Loveland Living Planet Aquarium added a new headliner to its Draper campus on Thursday, July 16: a 19-foot-7-inch reticulated python named Sula, now the longest animal the facility has ever housed.
The aquarium announced Sula's arrival on World Snake Day, calling her one of the longest snakes at any zoo or aquarium in the United States. She is on display in the Ford Expedition Asia exhibit at 12033 Lone Peak Pkwy., alongside a Komodo dragon, black tree monitors, and prehensile-tailed skinks.
Her name comes from the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, which falls within the reticulated python's native range. Reticulated pythons are the world's longest snake species. They are constrictors that kill prey by squeezing rather than injecting venom, and the aquarium describes them as strong swimmers and highly intelligent.
Why it matters for Draper
The aquarium is one of Draper's largest tourism engines. It recorded 922,000 visits in 2025, according to statistics Mayor Troy Walker cited at his January 2026 State of the City address. Since opening its Draper location in 2014, the facility has welcomed more than 10 million guests total.
"Tourism is actually a big deal for us. Draper attracted visitors from all 50 states," Walker said at the January address, noting that sales tax revenue from attractions like the aquarium helps offset property taxes. The city's General Fund receives $21.5 million from sales tax compared with $11 million from property taxes, according to Walker's presentation.
The aquarium was named runner-up for Best Aquarium in the 2026 USA Today 10Best Readers' Choice Awards, the third consecutive year it placed runner-up in that category.
The exhibit
Ford Expedition Asia was renovated in 2026 and is now the aquarium's newest permanent exhibit, according to the facility's website. It features species from Indonesia and New Guinea, including clouded leopards, binturongs, Asian small-clawed otters, and a coconut crab.
For context on Sula's size: the Guinness World Record for the longest verifiably measured wild reticulated python belongs to a 23-foot-8-inch snake named Ibu Baron, confirmed in February 2026 in South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Typical reticulated pythons reach 10 to 19 feet, according to National Geographic.
The Loveland Living Planet Aquarium is a nonprofit accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. It houses nearly 5,000 animals across more than 600 species. Sula is on view in Ford Expedition Asia; the aquarium has not announced any special programming around her debut.
