Reticulated Python
These are the longest snakes in the world. Their skin pattern is geometrical, often with a complicated series of irregular diamond shapes along the back and lighter shading at the sides. They vary widely in colour. While known for their extreme length, their bodies are slender compared to other large snakes.
They have sharp teeth which curve backwards, which they use to grab and hold their prey whilst they suffocate it by constricting it in their immensely powerful coils.
What they eat
Rodents, small mammals and birds; larger specimens have been known to eat small primates and pigs; they are also recorded to have eaten cats and dogs when they have strayed into domestic territories.
How long they live
30-40 years.
Biology
Female Reticulated Pythons lay between 60 and 100 white coloured, soft-shelled eggs at a time. The young develop in the eggs, taking 70 - 90 days to hatch.
The mothers wrap their bodies around the eggs to keep the temperature constant until they are ready to hatch. The hatchlings break out by using a specially grown ‘egg tooth’ to crack open the shell. Like all reptiles, they are independent from birth, Young pythons are often eaten by predators such as hawks, lizards and wild pigs, but as they get older and bigger, they have fewer and fewer potential predators..
Did you know?
The Reticulated Python is one of the few species of snake reported to have killed and eaten people.
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Species Profile
Common name
Reticulated Python
Scientific name
Python reticulatus
Animal group/type
Reptile - snake
Where they live
South East Asia
Habitat
Forests, woodlands, grasslands, often near waterways.
Size
Maximum recorded length: 9.75m
Weight
Up to 160kg
Conservation status (IUCN Red List)
Low Risk
(Not on the IUCN Red List)
Threats
Habitat loss due to agricultural and urban development.
Hunting – their meat is considered a delicacy in some Asian communities and their skins are used for leather.
Collection for the exotic pet trade.