Woma Python

ANIMAL:
Woma Python Aspidites ramsayi

Type of Animal:
Boa/Python

Habitat:
Arid/semiarid regions-forest, desert, shrubland, woodland, savanna, grassland, sandplains, coastal plains, coastal areas, scrubland, prefers sandy or black soil, stony ridges, dry/semidry subtropical areas

Location(s):
W & C Australia

Appearance:
Light & dark brown alternating bands, creamy yellow underside, top color ranges from yellow to reddish, grey, or olive-brown, narrow head, thin body, narrow pointy tail

Food/Diet:
Small mammals, birds, other snakes, lizards, bird eggs

Status in Wild:
Stable

Conservation:
Breeding in zoos, breeding centers, & herpetoculture

Lifestyle:
Solitary

Additional Info:

Called:
Male
Female
Young: Snakelet
Group: Solitary
 
Weight:
Male: 2.87 lbs
Female: 4.4-5 lbs
Young: 0.5 lbs

Gestation:
3 months

Life Span:
20 years

Body Length:
Male: 4.92 ft
Female: 5.24 ft
Young: 1.3 ft

Main predators are foxes, cats, & mulga/king brown snakes.
 
Also called sand python or Ramsay’s python.
 
1 of only 2 python species to lack heat-sensing pits-other being close relative Black-Headed Python. These pythons have equivalent sensory organ on tip of snout bordering mouth.
 
Primarily active at night (nocturnal).
 
Shelters in burrows, hollow logs, or under debris/vegetation during day.
 
Catches much of prey in burrows in which snake pushes loop of body against prey to pin against side of burrow. If space available, they’ll use constriction like other pythons.
 
Females lay 5-20 eggs per clutch & incubate them in burrows.
 
Ramsay’s name named after Australian zoologist Edward Pierson Ramsay.
 
When moving over hot sand, only few inches of body touches ground.
 
To attract prey, they’ll wiggle narrow pointy tail.
 
Breeding season lasts from May-August.
 
While stable as a whole, it’s endangered in SW Australia.
 
Males use small cloacal spurs to stimulate females to breed.
 
Sometimes confused w/ highly venomous Mulga/King Brown & Western Brown Snakes.
 
Aborigines hunt them for skin/meat.

Fun Fact(s):
Known to be quite docile & make decent pets.
 
Some individuals immune to venomous snake bites & others not.
 
Many covered in scars from rodent bites.
 
They’re voracious feeders. One made headlines in 2015 for requiring surgery to remove feeding tongs it swallowed w/ meal.
 
If burrow needs to be expanded, they can use head as shovel to enlarge area.