Phylum
Chordata > Subphylum Vertebrata > Class Reptilia > shore
snakes |
Reticulated
python
Broghammerus reticulatus
Family Pythonidae
updated
Oct 2016
Where
seen? This enormous but beautiful snake is among the most
commonly sighted snakes in Singapore. According to Baker, it is found
in almost all habitats from forest to mangroves and also in urban
areas. From sea level up to 1,000m. Elsewhere also near rivers. It
is common throughout Southeast Asia. It was previously known as Python
reticulatus. According to Catalogue
of Life 20 Jan 2014 its scientific name is Broghammerus reticulatus.
According to EcologyAsia, its scientific name is Malayopython reticulatus.
Features: To about 10m long, but those we might see are usually much shorter
and rarely exceed 5m. Among the longest snakes in the world, this
powerfully muscled snake is non-venomous and kills by constricting
its victims in its coils. Large adults can be dangerous to humans.
Even though it is non-venomous, it can give a nasty lacerating bite
with its powerful jaws filled with sharp long fangs. Don't disturb
a python. It has a pretty net-like pattern ('reticulatus' means 'net-like')
and scales that are iridescent in sunlight.
What
does it eat? It hunts small warm-blooded animals
and has pits on the upper lip to detect its prey. It is said to eat
nearly anything it can catch from mice, rats to deer and pigs. A good
climber, even tree dwellers are not safe from it. It is also an excellent
swimmer. It is considered a pest on poultry farms. It is mainly nocturnal.
Python babies: Mama snake lays
many eggs (124 is the record) and incubates them for three months. The babies look just like their
parents.
Status and threats: The snake
is considered common and are not listed among the threatened animals
of Singapore. However, like other creatures of the shores, they are
affected by human activities such as reclamation and pollution. |
Sungei Buloh
Wetland Reserve, May 02
|
Sungei Buloh
Wetland Reserve, May 02
|
Sungei Buloh
Wetland Reserve, May 02
|
Reticulated
pythons on Singapore shores |
Links
References
- Lim, Kelvin
K. P. & Francis L K Lim, 1992. A
Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of SingaporeSingapore Science Centre. 160 pp.
- Baker, Nick
and Kelvin Lim. 2008. Wild
Animals of Singapore: A Photographic Guide to Mammals, Reptiles,
Amphibians and Freshwater Fishes Vertebrate Study Group, Nature Society (Singapore). 180 pp.
- Stuebing,
Robert B and Robert F. Inger. 1999. A
Field Guide to the Snakes of Borneo Natural History Publications (Borneo). 254 pp.
- Cox, Merel
J., Peter Paul van Dijk, Jarujin Nabhitabhata and Kumthorn Thirakhupt.
1998. A
Photographic Guide to Snakes and Other Reptiles of Thailand, Peninsular
Malaysia and Singapore New Holland. pp 144.
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