| Scientific Name: |
Python reticulatus |
| Range: |
Coastal Southeast Asia; Philippines, Indonesia, Burma,
and Vietnam |
| Habitat: |
Tropical forests |
| Natural Diet: |
Mammals; anything as small a rat and as large as an
antelope |
| Zoo Diet: |
Rats and chicks |
Physical
Characteristics: |
Reticulated pythons grow to an average length of 20
feet and an average weight of 440 pounds. Their tan-brown bodies have
dark, hourglass-shaped markings that camouflage the snake in its natural
habitat. This camouflage allows the snake to hide and spring on
unsuspecting prey that wanders across its path. |
| Behavior: |
Reticulated pythons are nocturnal (active at night) and
kill their prey by constriction. Constrictors coil around their prey and
continuously tighten their hold to slowly suffocate the prey.
Reticulated pythons are agile animals that move with ease through trees
and over uneven ground. They can also swim well but they spend more time
on land than in the water. |
| Reproduction: |
The female lays and broods (sits on eggs to be hatched)
30-50 eggs in hollow trees and underground chambers. |
| Notes: |
The reticulated python is the world’s longest snake.
The longest one ever measured was 33 feet in length. Reticulated pythons
live an average of 20 years in the wild. Historically, large snakes have
been killed for their skin, which is made into belts, handbags, and
boots. Truly large pythons are now hard to find in the wild. |
