Fluffy Dies at the Columbus Zoo

Fluffy, at 24 feet, was recognized by Guinness World Records as the world's longest snake.

The world's longest snake – at 24 feet and 300 pounds – has died at a zoo in Ohio.

Fluffy, a reticulated python recognized by Guinness World Records as the world's longest snake, died Tuesday night. A necropsy found a tumor on her ovary, according to a press release from the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.

"She was greatly loved here by the staff, mainly because she was a gentle snake," zoo spokeswoman Carrie Pratt told CNN affiliate WBNS-TV.

Fluffy was 18 years old and had lived since 2007 at the Columbus Zoo, which had built a special habitat for her.

Reticulated pythons are nonvenomous constrictors found in tropical forests in Southeast Asia, according to the zoo's website. They are the world's longest snakes, averaging 10 to 20 feet in length. They live on small mammals like rodents but sometimes eat wild pigs, deer and primates.