Burmese Python

ANIMAL:
Burmese Python       Python bivittatus

Type of Animal:
Boa/Python

Habitat:
Tropical/subtropical forests, grassy marshes, grasslands, swamps, marshes, streams, rivers, rocky foothills, forest clearings, river valleys, woodlands, villages, wetlands, caves, mangroves, foothills, lower mountainous areas

Location(s):
E. India, Nepal, Bangladesh, W. Bhutan, S.E. China, Indochina, Malaysia, Java, S. Sulawesi, Bali, Sumbawa. Invasive species in much of S. Florida & Puerto Rico.

Appearance:
Dark w/ brown blotches w/ black borders plus yellow on skin. Females larger than males.

Food/Diet:
Birds, tiger cubs, clouded leopards, domestic cats, wildcats, fishing cats, gibbons, sun bears, bear cubs, pigs, rabbits, hares, goats, sheep, civets, otters, deer, rodents, lorises, lizards including monitor lizards, amphibians, other snakes including venomous species, smaller python species, & younger members of own species, domestic calves, anoa calves, dogs, crocodilians, leopard cubs. In Florida, prey on bobcats, florida panthers, opossums, raccoons, muskrats, & even alligators (engaging in fights to death w/ 1st one dead being eaten). Rare cases of eating human children.

Status in Wild:
Stable

Conservation:
Breeding in zoos, wildlife parks, & herpetoculture

Lifestyle:
Solitary

Additional Info:

Called:
Male
Female
Young-Snakelet
Group-Solitary

Weight:
Male-100 lbs
Female-170-200 lbs
Young-30 lbs

Gestation:
2-3 months 

Life Span:
20-30 years

Body Length:
Male-10-14 ft
Female-16-19 ft
Young-6 ft

Tail Length:
2 ft

Main predators of adults are crocodiles (which engage in fights to death w/ 1st one dead being eaten), alligators (same situation as crocodile), tigers, bears, leopards, & florida panthers (in Florida). Young eaten by monitor lizards, clouded leopards, many snakes including own species, turtles, hornbills, pigs, large fish, foxes, domestic cats, fishing cats, wildcats, raptors, kingfishers, wading birds, civets, dogs, & otters. In Florida, young preyed on by bobcats, raccoons, & opossums. Predatory ants prey on eggs.

They kill prey using constriction, swallowing prey whole.

Female can lay up to 100 eggs in single clutch.

They only eat a few times a year.

3rd largest snake in world.

Hunted for skin & meat.

Fun Fact(s):
They’re ambush predators, generally lying in wait.

Most escaped individuals in S. Florida & Puerto Rico derive from ex-pets that were released because they got too big for owners to handle.

Albino & leucistic Burmese pythons common in captive breeding programs.

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