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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
carpet
python |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Reptilia |
| ORDER: |
Squamata |
| FAMILY: |
Boidae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Morelia spilotes variegata |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
Carpet pythons are medium-sized pythons. They are
named for their beautiful markings, which resemble
an oriental carpet pattern. They can have black-to-gray
patterns of blotches, cross bands, stripes, or a
combination of these markings on a light yellowish-to-dark
brown background. |
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| SIZE: |
Adults measure 2-3.6 m (6.5-12 ft.) in length; average
adult length is 2.4 m (8 ft.); carpet python hatchlings
are approximately 30 cm (12 in.) in length |
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| DIET: |
Variety
of birds and mammals, including marsupials |
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| INCUBATION: |
Average of 40 days
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| Even
though a carpet python is not warm-blooded, a female
can raise her body temperature by twitching her
muscles. This muscular activity creates enough warmth
to incubate the eggs. The incubation temperature
of the eggs may determine the young snakes' sexes,
just as with some other reptiles. |
| CLUTCH
SIZE |
Up
to 18 eggs |
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| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
2.5-3 years |
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| LIFE
SPAN: |
Large bodied snakes, like the carpet python, can
live more than 20 years in the natural environment,
and even longer in controlled settings. |
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| RANGE: |
Carpet pythons are found in Australia (except central
western and extreme southeastern regions) and New
Guinea. |
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| HABITAT: |
They live in a variety of habitats from eastern
coastal rain forests to central desert areas. |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
No
data |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Not
listed |
| CITES |
Appendix II |
| USFWS |
Not
listed |
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| 1. |
Pythons are primitive snakes that have vestigial
or leftover pelvic girdles and hind limbs that show
up externally as a pair of "spurs" near
the base of the tail. Male pythons use these spurs
during courtship and mating. |
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| 2. |
Nesting behavior depends on a particular carpet
python's range - terrestrial desert snakes use other
animals' abandoned burrows in which to lay eggs,
while arboreal or tree-dwelling forest snakes use
tree hollows. |
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Many snakes in the python family are collected
from the wild for the pet trade. Adults are collected
for their attractive skins and slaughtered for
their leather.
In
many parts of the world, over-collection of these
predators has resulted in ecological imbalances
that often affect local people. Larger snakes
frequently feed on nuisance animals such as rodents
that destroy crops and spread disease. Also, many
other important predators like birds-of-prey feed
on young snakes. This means that snakes fulfill
roles as both predators and prey in regional food
chains.
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|
|
Coborn, John. The Atlas of Snakes of the World.
New Jersey: T.F.H. Publications, inc. 1991.
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Mehrtens, John M. Living Snakes of the World.
New York: Sterling Publishing Co., 1987. |
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Stafford, Peter J. Pythons and Boas. New
Jersey: T.F.H. Publications, Inc., 1986.
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