Reticulated python

Malayopython reticulatus

Size: 3–7 m · 30–150 kg
Diet: Carnivore
Activity: Diurnal
Sociality: Solitary
Lifespan: 10-40 years

The reticulated python is an exceptionally long snake of Indomalayan forests and freshwater edges. Listed here as diurnal and solitary, it is an ambush carnivore.

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Key facts

Reticulated python (Malayopython reticulatus) is a carnivore animal classified as Reptile · Squamata · Pythonidae.
Primary habitats are forest · freshwater, with a range across Indomalayan.
Activity is diurnal, sociality is solitary, and conservation status is LC (Least Concern).
The reticulated python is an exceptionally long snake of Indomalayan forests and freshwater edges.
It uses tropical forest, river edges, wetlands, and waterside areas near farmland.
Typical lifespan: 10-40 years

Sources

wikidata.org

Range

Habitat range map

Native rangeOccasional / Transient

Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)

Details

Habitat

It uses tropical forest, river edges, wetlands, and waterside areas near farmland. Cover, water, and abundant prey are important.

Appearance

Length is about 300-700 cm and weight about 30-150 kg. A complex net-like pattern, narrow head, and very long muscular body define it.

Behavior

It waits alone on the ground or near water along prey routes. It swims well and can move along rivers and between islands.

Feeding

It is carnivorous, taking mammals, birds, and reptiles. Nonvenomous, it coils powerfully around prey before swallowing it whole.

Reproduction

Females lay eggs and coil around them for protection. Muscular shivering can generate heat that helps incubation.

Notes

Its status is listed as Least Concern. Its size is famous, but where people and snakes overlap, distance and habitat management matter.