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This reticulated python lives at Thrigby Hall Wildlife Park in Norfolk.
Individuals of this species have proved to be indisputably the longest snake in the world. Their length ranges from 5ft to 21ft 4in. (1.5 to 6.5 m) with a weight of between 2lb. 3 oz. to 165 lb. 6 oz. (1 to 75 kg)
The snakes complex geometric pattern is made up of irregular diamond shapes in olive green, brown, white, and gold, with a black outline. The back typically has a series of irregular diamond shapes flanked by smaller markings with light centres. In the snakes wide geographic range, much variation of size, colour, and markings commonly occurs. The pattern is called disruptive colouration and in a shadowy jungle environment amid fallen leaves and debris, it allows them to virtually disappear, protecting them from predators and helping them to catch their prey.
Reticulated pythons are solitary creatures and are active throughout the night. They are found in South and Southeast Asia. It inhabits rainforests, woodlands, and nearby grasslands and may venture into agricultural land or near human habitation. It is also associated with rivers and is found in areas with nearby streams and lakes. They are a slow moving snakes but are excellent swimmers, it has even been reported far out at sea and has consequently has colonized many islands within its range
As with all pythons, the reticulated python is an ambush predator, usually waiting until prey wanders within strike range before seizing it in its coils and killing by constriction. Its natural diet includes mammals and occasionally birds. Small snakes up to 10 to 13 ft. (3 to 3.9 m) long eat mainly small mammals such as rats, other rodents, mouse-eared bats, and treeshrews, whereas larger individuals take prey such as small Indian civet and bearcats, primates, pigs, and deer weighing more than 135 lb. (61.25 kg). Adult humans have been killed and eaten by this snake. As a rule, the reticulated python seems able to swallow prey up to one-quarter its own length and up to its own weight.
Adult females lay between 15 and 80 eggs per clutch. At an optimum incubation temperature of 31–32 °C (88–90 °F), the eggs take an average of 88 days to hatch.[ The hatchlings are at least 2 ft. (61 cm) in length and are independent at birth. The young pythons can expect to live for about 23 years.
King cobras and crocodiles prey on reticulated pythons. Eggs and juvenile pythons are vulnerable to predators such as hawks, eagles, herons, and small mammals. The python is still persecuted by man for it's skin, for use in traditional medicine, for meat and for sale as pets. Few snakes live long enough to reach their maximum potential size.
According to IUCN, the reticulated python is locally common and widespread throughout its range but no overall population estimate is available. Currently, this species is classified as 'Least Concern' on the IUCN Red List
my selection of photos of the beautiful Python Pool, tucked away in the Chichester Ranges, Pilbara, West Australia (taken soon after sunrise). The perfect reflection in the small pool of the two huge rock walls was stunning, creating quite an imposing and timeless image.
This python was sunning itself up high in a tree at "The Polish Place" Mount Tamborine. I thought snakes hibernated in winter? photo was taken on our shortest day of the year.
This beautiful exhibit has been on display at the San Diego Zoo for many years. I've been so impressed by the beauty of this snake skeleton, that years ago, after I killed a rattlesnake in my driveway, I put the body in my cactus garden so that the ants and beetles could strip it down to a skeleton. My brilliant plan failed because the coyotes came the same night, and ripped the carcass to pieces and ate most of the snake. Oh, well.
More of my animal pictures can be seen at my San Diego Zoo set. www.flickr.com/photos/9422878@N08/sets/72157621078764843/...
A typical night on the hunt for Florida's invasive pythons.
This night drone photograph was taken as a hobbyist. Maintained line of sight and was taken at 30 feet(below tree line)
A large female Burmese Python (Python bivittatus) in the 10-11 foot range captured during a night survey in Everglades National Park. A second individual just a little further down the road while this snake was being captured.
A Woma Python from central Australia. This beautiful python from the central sandy desert of Australia is unfortunately an endangered species.
At the Galerie de Paléontologie et d'Anatomie comparée, Paris
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Python 03/11/2020 14h22
Amanda wearing a mask to protect herself and others in line of Python.
Python
FACTS & FIGURES
Opening date: April 12, 1981 (re-opened after renovation March 31, 2018)
Type / model: steel double-loop Corkscrew roller coaster
Manufacturer: Vekoma
Lift/launch system: chain lift
Height: 29.00 m
Drop: 22 m
Length: 750.00 m
Speed: 75 km/h
Inversions: 4
Duration: 120 seconds
Capacity: 1400 riders per hour
G-force: 0 - 3.5
Trains: 2 trains with 7 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 28 riders per train.
[ Source: Wikipedia - Python (Efteling) ]
Captive wild juvenile python about 2ft in length
The reptile was released unharmed back to the wild at the nature reserve (relocation) soon after the pics were taken.
Combination of 2 images to achieve sufficient dof at its eyes.
Found at Marcoola Beach in Sunshine Coast. Queensland, Australia.
Found in grass in bush adjacent to beach.
Single exposure, uncropped, handheld, in situ.
Python bivittatus
A gorgeous adult found crossing a forest road on a cool November night amid a flooded pine forest in south Florida. Pythons usually prefer freshwater marsh, but can be found in virtually any habitat in the Everglades. This is the lightest colored python I've seen, it was absolutely gorgeous.
contact me on nick.volpe3@hotmail.com for use of this image.
Fom western Queensland.
A large and calm snake that was found cruising on the side of the road, a pleasure to see!
Python photographed at the Calusa Nature Center.
This Python was coiled up in his enclosure when I photographed him.
Sony A6000/ICLE-6000 e-mount body with Sony SEL 55-210/F4.5-6.3 OSS lens and 6mm extension tube. Processed in Adobe Lightroom.
The slide was never going to be the most popular ride at the funfair but on a cold damp night stuck at the end of all the other rides no matter how brightly lit is was it still looked lost
One of the many highlights from my trip to Australia over Christmas were the various reptiles we saw. Aside from the small lizards and monitors, we saw 3 species of snake as well: Carpet Python, Tree Snake and Red-bellied Black.
We spotted this huge Carpet Python after hearing a branch snap while walking along a creek. It must have been about 2 metres long and wasn't bothered by us photographing it.
I will be uploading some more photos from my trip over the coming days and weeks so make sure you check back to see them!
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The Burmese python (Python bivittatus) is one of the largest species of snakes. It is native to a large area of Southeast Asia and is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Until 2009, it was considered a subspecies of the Indian python, but is now recognized as a distinct species. It is an invasive species in Florida as a result of the pet trade.
The Burmese python is a dark-colored non-venomous snake with many brown blotches bordered by black down the back. In the wild, Burmese pythons typically grow to 5 m (16 ft), while specimens of more than 7 m (23 ft) are unconfirmed. This species is sexually dimorphic in size; females average only slightly longer, but are considerably heavier and bulkier than the males. For example, length-weight comparisons in captive Burmese pythons for individual females have shown: at 3.47 m (11 ft 5 in) length, a specimen weighed 29 kg (64 lb), a specimen of just over 4 m (13 ft) weighed 36 kg (79 lb), a specimen of 4.5 m (15 ft) weighed 40 kg (88 lb), and a specimen of 5 m (16 ft) weighed 75 kg (165 lb). In comparison, length-weight comparisons for males found: a specimen of 2.8 m (9 ft 2 in) weighed 12 kg (26 lb), 2.97 m (9 ft 9 in) weighed 14.5 kg (32 lb), a specimen of 3 m (9.8 ft) weighed 7 kg (15 lb), and a specimen of 3.05 m (10.0 ft) weighed 18.5 kg (41 lb). In general, individuals over 5 m (16 ft) are rare. The record for maximum length of a Burmese python is 5.79 m (19 ft 0 in) and was caught 10 July 2023 in South Florida's Big Cypress National Preserve. Widely published data of specimens reported to have been several feet longer are not verified. At her death, a Burmese named "Baby" was the heaviest snake recorded in the world at the time at 182.8 kg (403 lb), much heavier than any wild snake ever measured. Her length was measured at 5.74 m (18 ft 10 in) circa 1999. The minimum size for adults is 2.35 m (7 ft 9 in). Dwarf forms occur in Java, Bali, and Sulawesi, with an average length of 2 m (6 ft 7 in) in Bali, and a maximum of 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) on Sulawesi. Wild individuals average 3.7 m (12 ft) long, but have been known to reach 5.79 m (19 ft 0 in).
In both their native and invasive range they suffer from Raillietiella orientalis (a pentastome parasitic disease).
The Burmese python occurs throughout Southern and Southeast Asia, including eastern India, southeastern Nepal, western Bhutan, southeastern Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, northern continental Malaysia, and southern China in Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, and Yunnan. It also occurs in Hong Kong, and in Indonesia on Java, southern Sulawesi, Bali, and Sumbawa. It has also been reported in Kinmen.
It is an excellent swimmer and needs a permanent source of water. It lives in grasslands, marshes, swamps, rocky foothills, woodlands, river valleys, and jungles with open clearings. It is a good climber and has a prehensile tail. It can stay in water for 30 minutes but mostly stays on land.
Python invasion has been particularly extensive, notably across South Florida, where a large number of pythons can now be found in the Florida Everglades. Between 1996 and 2006, the Burmese python gained popularity in the pet trade, with more than 90,000 snakes imported into the U.S. The current number of Burmese pythons in the Florida Everglades may have reached a minimum viable population and become an invasive species. Hurricane Andrew in 1992 was deemed responsible for the destruction of a python-breeding facility and zoo, and these escaped snakes spread and populated areas into the Everglades. More than 1,330 have been captured in the Everglades. A genetic study in 2017 revealed that the python population is composed of hybrids between the Burmese python and Indian python. The species also displays cytonuclear discordance which has made phylogenetic studies of its origin more complicated.
By 2007, the Burmese python was found in northern Florida and in the coastal areas of the Florida Panhandle. The importation of Burmese pythons was banned in the United States in January 2012 by the U.S. Department of the Interior. A 2012 report stated, "in areas where the snakes are well established, foxes, and rabbits have disappeared. Sightings of raccoons are down by 99.3%, opossums by 98.9%, and white-tailed deer by 94.1%." Road surveys between 2003 and 2011 indicated an 87.3% decrease in bobcat populations, and in some areas rabbits have not been detected at all. Experimental efforts to reintroduce rabbit populations to areas where rabbits have been eliminated have mostly failed "due to high (77% of mortalities) rates of predation by pythons." Bird and coyote populations may be threatened, as well as the already-rare Florida panther. In addition to this correlational relationship, the pythons have also been experimentally shown to decrease marsh rabbit populations, further suggesting they are responsible for many of the recorded mammal declines. They may also outcompete native predators for food.
For example, Burmese pythons also compete with the native American alligator, and numerous instances of alligators and pythons attacking—and in some cases, preying on—each other have been reported and recorded.
By 2011, researchers identified up to 25 species of birds from nine avian orders in the digestive tract remains of 85 Burmese pythons found in Everglades National Park. Native bird populations are suffering a negative impact from the introduction of the Burmese python in Florida; among these bird species, the wood stork is of specific concern, now listed as federally endangered.
Numerous efforts have been made to eliminate the Burmese python population in the last decade. Understanding the preferred habitat of the species is needed to narrow down the python hunt. Burmese pythons have been found to select broad-leafed and low-flooded habitats. Broad-leafed habitats comprise cypress, overstory, and coniferous forest. Though aquatic marsh environments would be a great source for prey, the pythons seem to prioritize environments allowing for morphological and behavioral camouflage to be protected from predators. Also, the Burmese pythons in Florida have been found to prefer elevated habitats, since this provides the optimal conditions for nesting. In addition to elevated habitats, edge habitats are common places where Burmese pythons are found for thermoregulation, nesting, and hunting purposes.
One of the Burmese python eradication movements with the biggest influence was the 2013 Florida Python Challenge. This was a month-long contest wherein a total of 68 pythons were removed. The contest offered incentives such as prizes for longest and greatest number of captured pythons. The purpose of the challenge was to raise awareness about the invasive species, increase participation from the public and agency cooperation, and to remove as many pythons as possible from the Florida Everglades. The challenge has run a few times again since then and is now an annual event over the duration of ten days. Recently, in 2023, it resulted in 209 pythons removed by 1,050 participants.
A study from 2017 introduced a new method for identifying the presence of Burmese pythons in southern Florida; this method involves the screening of mosquito blood. Since the introduction of the Burmese python in Florida, mosquito communities use the pythons as hosts even though they are recently introduced.
Invasive Burmese pythons also face certain physiological changes. Unlike their native South Asian counterparts who spend long periods fasting due to seasonal variation in prey availability, pythons in Florida feed year-round due to the constant availability of food. They are also vulnerable to cold stress, with winter freezes resulting in mortality rates of up to 90%. Genomic data suggests natural selection on these populations favors increased thermal tolerance as a result of these high-mortality freezes.
They have carried Raillietiella orientalis, a pentastome parasitic disease, with them from Southeast Asia. Other reptiles in Florida have become infested, and the parasite appears to have become endemic.
In April 2019, researchers captured and killed a large Burmese python in Florida's Big Cypress National Preserve. It was more than 5.2 m (17 ft) long, weighed 64 kg (140 lb), and contained 73 developing eggs. In December 2021, a Burmese python was captured in Florida that weighed 98 kg (215 lb) and had a length of 5.5 m (18 ft); it contained a record 122 developing eggs. In July 2023, local hunters captured and killed a 5.8 m (19 ft) long Burmese python that weighed 57 kg (125 lb) in Florida's Big Cypress National Preserve.
Burmese pythons are mainly nocturnal rainforest dwellers. When young, they are equally at home on the ground and in trees, but as they gain girth, they tend to restrict most of their movements to the ground. They are also excellent swimmers, being able to stay submerged for up to half an hour. Burmese pythons spend the majority of their time hidden in the underbrush. In the northern parts of its range, the Burmese python may brumate for some months during the cold season in a hollow tree, a hole in the riverbank, or under rocks. Brumation is biologically distinct from hibernation. While the behavior has similar benefits, allowing organisms to endure the winter without moving, it also involves the preparation of both male and female reproductive organs for the upcoming breeding season. The Florida population also goes through brumation.
They tend to be solitary and are usually found in pairs only when mating. Burmese pythons breed in the early spring, with females laying clutches of 12–36 eggs in March or April. They remain with the eggs until they hatch, wrapping around them and twitching their muscles in such a way as to raise the ambient temperature around the eggs by several degrees. Once the hatchlings use their egg tooth to cut their way out of their eggs, no further maternal care is given. The newly hatched babies often remain inside their eggs until they are ready to complete their first shedding of skin, after which they hunt for their first meal.