Burmese Python

NAME:

Burmese Python

ZOO NAME:

Montia

CLASS:

Reptilia

GENUS:

Python

SPECIES:

P. molurus

LENGTH:

18-20 feet

WEIGHT:

up to 200 lbs

LIFESPAN:

20+ yrs (captive). Record is 28 yrs.

DIET:

Rodents, Other Snakes, Eggs, Birds, Lizards, Pigs, Deer, Goats

PREDATORS:

Man, Raptors, Other Snakes

RANGE

India to lower China, Malay Peninsula.

HABITAT

Grasslands, Marshes, Swamps, Woodlands, River Valleys, & Open Rainforest Clearings.

CHARACTERISTICS

Light-colored snakes with many dark brown patches bordered in black down the back. It is the largest subspecies of the Indian Python and one of the 6 biggest snakes in the world. It can grow up to 20 ft. and weigh up to 200 lbs. Females are typically larger than males.

BEHAVIOR

Diurnal. When young, they spend time on the ground as well as in trees. As they age, Burmese Pythons tend to stay on the ground. Excellent swimmers, they are able to stay submerged for up to half an hour. Pythons are constrictors which use sharp backward-pointing teeth to seize their prey then wrap their body around the prey while contracting their muscles, killing by asphyxiation. A 10 foot Burmese is capable of taking down large mammals.

REPRODUCTION

Burmese Pythons breed in the early spring with females laying clutches which average 12 to 36 eggs. The female will remain with the eggs until they hatch, wrapping around them and twitching muscles which raises the temperature around the eggs by as much as 40 degrees. Newly hatched pythons are on their own and often remain inside their eggs until they are ready to complete their first shedding, after which they hunt for their first meal.

THREATS

Burmese Pythons are extensively hunted for food and their skins.