Reticulated Python

The reticulated python feeds on birds, mammals, and other reptile species found within its range. This includes rodents, bats, small deer species, ducks, and monkeys. Pythons non-venomous and are constrictors, meaning they kill prey by wrapping around it and squeezing.

At the Zoo, large pythons eat about 10 pounds of rabbits every 3 to 4 weeks.

This species is widespread throughout southeast Asia, including western Bangladesh to southeastern Vietnam and south through the Indo-Pacific islands. Some reports also put reticulated pythons in parts of Africa and northern Australia.

Due to the pet trade and importation, reticulated pythons have been introduced in southern Florida. There they are considered invasive and are negatively affecting the ecosystems.

In their native range, pythons inhabit tropical forests. They are at home on the ground, in caves, or in trees and have adapted to living in towns and cities. Heavily dependent on water, they are often found near small rivers or ponds. Pythons require tropical environments with temperatures in the range of 80 to 92 degrees Fahrenheit.

Python eggs and young may be attacked and eaten by birds, small mammals, and even other snakes. Adult snakes have few natural predators because of their large size, but crocodiles have been known to predate on pythons near water sources.

Due to its size, reticulated pythons are often persecuted by humans out of fear and killed. Other threats include hunting for skins, meat, and body parts for traditional medicine. Throughout its range, pythons are also taken for the pet trade. Although the species seems able to withstand habitat degradation if some suitable habitat remains, developed areas around villages make this large snake more vulnerable to hunting. As human populations grow in their ranges, it increases the exposure of large pythons to persecution.

Reticulated pythons have geometric patterns along their backs, often including diamond shapes surrounded by smaller markings with light centers. In the shadowy rainforest among fallen leaves this pattern acts as camouflage, allowing them to nearly disappear to predators and prey alike. Females are often much larger than males of the same age.

They have about 100 sharp teeth that curve backwards, allowing the snake to hold onto its prey after biting it. This snake kills prey in minutes by wrapping around it, squeezing, and then eating it whole by using rhythmic muscular contractions that pull the prey down the snake’s throat and into its stomach. Everything is digested except for fur or feathers, which is passed with the snake’s waste. Snakes have a very low metabolic rate, which allows them to go for long periods without a meal.

Males breed at 7 to 9 feet long, while females are typically 11 feet long before they become mature enough to breed. Breeding usually takes place close to February and March in the wild, but reproduction depends on the climate changes in their habitat. Females usually lay between 20 and 100 eggs in a clutch, depending on the size of the snake. If food is abundant, pythons can have a clutch every year. In areas where food is less available, it is more likely to occur every 2 to 3 years. The eggs are white with a soft, leathery shell. The female wraps her body around her eggs and “shivers,” producing muscle contractions until the eggs are ready to hatch. This is known as brooding and prevents the eggs from getting too warm or too cool. They need to remain close to 89 degrees Fahrenheit to incubate. The young pythons emerge by cutting a slit in the eggshell with their egg tooth. They are 26 to 35 inches in length and weigh 4 to 5 ounces. Once they hatch, the young are on their own to find food and protection.

Two openings called the Jacobson’s organ are located on the roof of the snake’s mouth, which allow snakes to smell their world “in stereo” and determine if an odor is coming from the left or the right. They use this system to track prey, to smell approaching predators, and to communicate with other snakes by collecting the chemical cues that they emit. A lightning-fast exchange, the tongue darts out to find these particles from the air, water, or ground and delivers them to the Jacobson’s organ. It then supplies this information to the brain, which interprets the message, and the snake reacts accordingly.

Pythons do not have ears, rather an organ called “columella” which allows them to sense vibrations in the ground. Snakes use physical movements to create vibrations to communicate to one another. They also communicate using pheromones or chemical markings that can give other snakes information through smell. If disturbed, pythons will also emit a hissing sound.

Reticulated pythons can move their large bodies well over land but utilize water sources to move more easily. Their strong muscles and constricting movements allow them to climb, although smaller individuals are more likely to be found in trees. They are generally more active at dusk and throughout the night.