ANIMAL: Reticulated Python Malayopython reticulatus Type of Animal: Boa/Python Habitat: Tropical forest, ponds, rivers, woodlands, grassland, streams, lakes, rural areas, urban areas Location(s): S.E Asia. Has been released into Florida after getting too big to be a pet. Appearance: Geometric pattern of brown, black, & yellow colors on skin, females longer & heavier than males. Males have hemipenes. Food/Diet: Rodents, dogs, pigs, goats, deer, sheep, domestic calves, domestic foals, anoa calves, monkeys, gibbons, baby orangutans, lorises, civets, otters, domestic cats, small cats, sun bears, bear cubs, tiger cubs, lizards including larger species, other snake species including venomous snakes & smaller pythons, rabbits, birds. Have been known to eat humans occasionally & even crocodiles. Status in Wild: Stable Conservation: Breeding in zoos & wildlife parks. Regulation on species in pet trade. Lifestyle: Solitary Additional Info: Called: Male Female Young-Snakelet Group-Solitary Weight: Male-70-100 lbs Female-100-300 lbs Young-4-4.8 oz Gestation: 3.5 months Body Length: Male-10-14 ft Female-15-30 ft Young-2.16-3 ft Life Span: 25-30 years Tail Length: 2 ft Only predators of adults are tigers & crocodiles. Usually, these result from fights to the death. If croc wins, python gets eaten. If python wins, then croc gets eaten. However, young pythons preyed on by cobras, monitor lizards, wild pigs, small cats, clouded leopards, foxes, raptors, hornbills, & even adult pythons. Younger snakes can be found in trees & on ground while adults primarily terrestrial. Longest snake in the world. Sometimes killed for skin, meat, medicinal use, & as predator of farm animals and children. Larger females can lay more than 100 eggs at a time. Retics have been captive bred producing regular, albino, and tiger forms as well as many other forms. They swallow their prey whole after squeezing/constricting prey. After hatching, babies go off on their own. Their coloration helps them as camouflage since they’re ambush predators. Fun Fact(s): FAIRLY COMMON SPECIES IN PET TRADE. HOWEVER, IT IS NOT RECOMMENDED FOR MANY PEOPLE TO GET THESE SNAKES AS PETS DUE TO LARGE SIZE. THEY CAN ALSO BE HIGHLY UNPREDICTABLE. THIS IS ESPECIALLY SO WHEN FEEDING TIME COMES AROUND. FOR EXAMPLE, IF THAT SNAKE IS HUNGRY & SMELLS RODENT BLOOD ON A PERSON, IT MIGHT ATTACK THE PERSON. HOWEVER, THESE SNAKES ONLY NEED TO EAT A FEW TIMES A YEAR. MANY INDIVIDUALS CAN BE FAIRLY DOCILE, ESPECIALLY FEMALES.