Reticulated python is a snake claiming to be the largest reptile. Its maximum documented length today is 7.5 m. Python is a non-toxic animal that is often kept at home terrariums and demonstrated at exotic exhibitions.
Appearance
The body of the python is decorated with complex patterns consisting of a chain of light triangular and rhomboid spots on a basic black, orange, brown or yellow background. As a rule, the head is lighter than the body and may have a golden color. Scales are characterized by a rainbow tide.
Pythons have a very thin, but extremely muscular body. Being in a relaxed state, they remain round and tall, and do not spread to the surface, like other giant snakes.
Net python sizes
There are many stories about the length and weight of a reptile, but many of them have no clear evidence. A significant number of wild representatives of this species, measured in Flores and Sumatra, reached 6 m with a weight of not more than 75 kg. In Indonesia, one of the largest reticulated pythons was discovered. A photo of the animal is located below. The weight of the reptile was 59 kg, length - 6.95 m. At the same time, the individual remained hungry for three months.
There is a direct relationship between the size of the reptile and its habitat. The pythons that inhabit the mainland are larger than those living on small islands. The New York Zoo was home to the largest reptile, which was brought from Borneo. The length of a female named Samantha, who passed away in 2002, was 7.5 m. As for age, today the first documented record holder is the python Setka, who was in the zoo in Nikolaev (Ukraine). The reptile lived for 23 years (June 1990 - August 2013). The animal died from intestinal coprostasis.
Habitat and lifestyle
Reticulated python is a widespread snake in the east and south of Asia. Also, representatives of the species can be found in Thailand, Singapore, India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Burma and other countries. Pythons live in light forests, tropical forests and on mountain slopes. These snakes lead a terrestrial way of life, but they also know how to move around trees. In the mountains of Java, python was found at an altitude of 1200 m above sea level.
Snakes focus on the banks of rivers and any other wet places. The species has the ability to move fairly quickly in the water, due to which it sometimes swims in the open sea. At night, individuals are in search of food, and during the day they rest in shelters (for example, in a cave).
Wild pythons eat vertebrates (monkeys, rodents, wyverns and birds). It is often enjoyed by dogs, pigs and goats, whose weight does not exceed 15 kg. In caves, bats become prey for snakes, which they catch in flight, clinging to uneven walls with their tail.
Despite the lack of poison, aggressive pythons can attack a person, considering him as food. For adults, they practically do not pose any danger, because they understand that they can not swallow such a large prey. Individuals of this species pose a threat to health and even life to children and adolescents.
Mesh python breeding
These reptiles become sexually mature after about a year and a half after hatching. Two weeks after ovulation, the females molt. The masonry process lasts a little over a month (an average of 38 days). The minimum number is about 10 eggs, the maximum is 100 pieces. The offspring is born at an optimum air temperature of 31-32 ° C. After laying, the female curls up around the eggs, thereby warming and protecting future pythons from predators. When hatching, the reptile's body length is approximately 60 cm.
By selection, several new color python morphs were derived. In captivity, the breeding process usually begins in November and ends in March. At this time, reptiles do not feed. Under terrarium conditions, sexual behavior is stimulated by spraying the body, as well as reducing the duration of daylight hours (up to 8 hours) and nighttime air temperature (up to 23 ° C).
Natural enemies
The most dangerous for the reticulated python are gavial, Siamese and combed crocodiles. They are able to eat a snake of any size. Young pythons are exterminated by small predators, including striped monitor lizards and feral dogs.
Man carries no less threat to the number of reptiles. For residents of Southeast Asia, the capture of large snakes is a traditional fishery. Meat is used in cooking, and leather - in haberdashery.
Basic rules of captivity
Quality care makes a majestic and tame animal out of a mesh python, the photo of which is located below. Since snakes of this species drink a lot, at any time they should be able to quench their thirst. The size of the drinker depends on the desire of the owner, however, it is worth remembering that if the capacity is large, then the python will eventually bathe in it. Many reptiles occasionally defecate in the water, so an attentive host should often sanitize the pool.
The young reticulated python feeds on small rats and adult mice. Servings of food consumed increase as the reptile grows older. When the length of the python reaches one meter, he can eat a large rat. Within a day after a meal, it is advisable to leave the animal alone so that it does not burp food. Prey must be served inanimate. The frequency of feeding should not exceed once every 10 days. This is especially true for young individuals. Frequent feeding (1-2 times a week) provokes rapid growth.
It is dangerous to touch the python after the owner held his potential prey in his hands, as the owner risks being mistaken for food. Over time, dead food items should sometimes be hidden in a terrarium. This will soften the snake's hunting instinct. Pythons, whose body has reached three meters, must be fed large animals (for example, rabbits).
