Details
Python bivittatus
The Burmese python is a very large python of Southeast Asia. It hunts alone at night, ambushing prey and overpowering it by constriction.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It inhabits Indomalayan forest, grassland, wetlands, and freshwater habitats. It favors water edges, swims well, and uses dense cover for shelter.
Total length 250-580 cm; weight 30-90 kg. The brown body has large dark blotches, and the head often shows an arrowhead pattern. The body is thick and muscular.
Nocturnal and solitary, it waits in cover and strikes from close range. Coils tighten around prey until it can no longer breathe.
A carnivore, it eats birds, mammals, and reptiles. Large meals are swallowed whole and followed by long digestion.
Females lay eggs and coil around them for protection. Muscle contractions can help warm the clutch.
It is listed as Vulnerable. Collection and habitat loss affect native populations, while introduced populations can harm native wildlife.
