Burmese Python
Burmese Python

Burmese Python

Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Subphylum
Vertebrata
Class
Reptilia
Order
Squamata
Suborder
Serpentes
Family
Pythonidae
Genus
Python
SPECIES
Python bivittatus
Population size
Unknown
Life Span
20-25 yrs
WEIGHT
90 kg
LENGTH
5 m

The Burmese python is one of the five largest species of snakes in the world. It is native to a large area of Southeast Asia. These are dark-colored snakes with many brown blotches bordered in black down the back. The bold patterns are similar to those seen on a giraffe. The perceived attractiveness of Burmese pythons' skin pattern contributes to their popularity with both reptile keepers and the leather industry.

No

Nocturnal

Ca

Carnivore

Ar

Arboreal

Te

Terrestrial

Pr

Precocial

So

Solitary

Hi

Hibernating

B

starts with

Photos with Burmese Python

Burmese Python (11), NPSPhoto, R. Cammauf
Albino Burmese Python
Burmese Python (5), NPSPhoto, R. Cammauf
Burmese Python (7), NPSPhoto, R. Cammauf
20101204_1311

Distribution

Burmese pythons occur throughout Southern and Southeast Asia, including eastern India, southeastern Nepal, western Bhutan, southeastern Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, northern continental Malaysia, and in southern China in Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, and Yunnan. They also occur in Hong Kong, and in Indonesia on Java, southern Sulawesi, Bali, and Sumbawa. They have also been reported on Kinmen. Burmese pythons live in grasslands, marshes, swamps, rocky foothills, woodlands, rainforests, mangrove forests, river valleys, and jungles with open clearings.

Burmese Python habitat map

Geography

Continents
Asia
Subcontinents
South Asia, Southeast Asia
Countries
Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, Show More Viet Nam Show Less
Introduced Countries
Singapore, United States
Regions
Florida

Biome

Tropical moist forests
Tropical dry forest
Temperate grasslands
Lakes
Rivers
Mangrove
Wetlands

Climate zones

Tropical
Temperate
Python bivittatus, Burmese python - Kaeng Krachan District, Phetchaburi

Habits and Lifestyle

Burmese pythons are solitary and mainly nocturnal rainforest dwellers. When young, they are equally at home on the ground and in trees, but as they gain girth, they tend to restrict most of their movements to the ground. They are also excellent swimmers and are able to stay submerged for up to half an hour. Burmese pythons spend the majority of their time hidden in the underbrush and will usually move only when hunting or when threatened. In the northern parts of their range, these snakes may brumate (hibernate) for some months during the cold season in a hollow tree, a hole in the riverbank, or under rocks.

Group name
den, nest, pit, bed, knot
Lifestyle
Arboreal, Terrestrial, Precocial
Seasonal behavior
Hibernating

Diet and Nutrition

Burmese pythons are carnivores. Their diet consists primarily of appropriately sized birds, mammals, amphibians, and other reptiles.

Diet Carnivore

Mating Habits

REPRODUCTION SEASON
early spring
INCUBATION PERIOD
60-80 days
INDEPENDENT AGE
at birth
FEMALE NAME
female
MALE NAME
male
BABY NAME
snakelet
BABY CARRYING
12-36 eggs

Burmese pythons are usually found in pairs only when mating. They breed in the early spring, with females laying clutches of 12-36 eggs in March or April. The female will remain with the eggs until they hatch, wrapping around them and twitching their muscles in such a way as to raise the ambient temperature around the eggs by several degrees. Incubation usually lasts around 60-80 days. The young use their egg tooth to cut their way out of their eggs. Once the eggs hatch, the snakelets quickly become independent. They often remain inside their eggs until they are ready to complete their first shedding of skin, after which they hunt for their first meal. Young Burmese pythons become reproductively mature at around 3 years of age.

Juvenile Burmese Python - Koedoesdraai
Population Trend
Decreasing
POPULATION STATUS
Vulnerable (VU)
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Population

Population threats

Important reasons for the decline of Burmese pythons are trade for skins and for food, harvesting for traditional medicine and for the international pet trade. They also suffer from habitat degradation.

Population number

The IUCN Red List and other sources don’t provide the number of the Burmese python total population size. Currently, this species is classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are decreasing.

Ecological niche

Burmese pythons are often found near human habitation due to the presence of rats, mice, and other vermin as a food source. This way they play a very useful role in prey regulation amongst rodents.

References

1. Burmese Python on Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burmese_python
2. Burmese Python on The IUCN Red List site - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/193451/151341916

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