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Burmese phython at Everglades national park
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The burmese python belongs to Phythonidae family.
They can grow up to seven metres and they weigh two hundred pounds. The males are smaller than the females and have a different colouration. They are grey/brown and yellow in colour with red patterns.
Due to their body being long, so are the organs, they have two lungs which is unusual for snakes.
Due to their body being long, so are the organs, they have two lungs which is unusual for snakes.
They are found Southeast Asia deep in the jungle and rainforest. They are in the top six snake biggest snake species. The burmese python is a subspecies of the Indian python.
As a youngster they are able to climb trees and this is where they stay for majority of their time, but as they get older and get bigger in size they are unable to climb trees. They are also able to hold their breathes for up to thirty minutes which allows them to swim and stay under the water.
The python is carnivorous, so preying on birds, reptiles and small mammals. As their sense of sight isnt great they have to rely on their other receptors to catch prey, they use chemical receptors, which are located on the tongue and along the jaw. Once the prey has been caught they squeeze (constrict) their whole body around the prey to prevent movement and to kill by suffocation. Their teeth are curved with also prevents the prey from escaping. Once the prey is dead they open their jaws which have elasticated ligaments which allows them to consume large animals whole. They do not require a meal everyday, as they consume such large prey, it takes a while to digest it all.
These animals spend the majority of their time alone, the only time they would see another burmese python is when mating occurs.They are able to start mating five years old. They mate in spring. The females are able to produce and lay one hundred eggs, which are laid in March, which she incubates and keeps warm (by contracting her muscles) for three months.
The python is carnivorous, so preying on birds, reptiles and small mammals. As their sense of sight isnt great they have to rely on their other receptors to catch prey, they use chemical receptors, which are located on the tongue and along the jaw. Once the prey has been caught they squeeze (constrict) their whole body around the prey to prevent movement and to kill by suffocation. Their teeth are curved with also prevents the prey from escaping. Once the prey is dead they open their jaws which have elasticated ligaments which allows them to consume large animals whole. They do not require a meal everyday, as they consume such large prey, it takes a while to digest it all.
These animals spend the majority of their time alone, the only time they would see another burmese python is when mating occurs.They are able to start mating five years old. They mate in spring. The females are able to produce and lay one hundred eggs, which are laid in March, which she incubates and keeps warm (by contracting her muscles) for three months.
Nationalzoo.si.edu, (2015). Burmese Python Fact Sheet - National Zoo| FONZ. [online] Available at: http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/ReptilesAmphibians/Facts/FactSheets/Burmeserockpython.cfm [Accessed 13 Apr. 2015].
Society, N. (2015). Burmese Pythons, Burmese Python Pictures, Burmese Python Facts - National Geographic. [online] National Geographic. Available at: http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/burmese-python/ [Accessed 13 Apr. 2015].
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