Burmese Python
The Burmese python is an incredibly large species of snake and is considered one of the top five largest in the world. They are a subspecies of the Indian python and can grow over 4.6 m in the wild, with some reaching more than 6.7 m in human care. Females are generally larger than males and tend to have slightly different colouration. Despite their size, they are known to be relatively docile, slow-moving, and rarely aggressive, even when threatened. These snakes have an elongated body, which means their internal organs, including their two lungs – one much smaller than the other – are also long. Burmese pythons are excellent swimmers, capable of staying submerged for up to 30 minutes. Naturally solitary, they come together only for mating.
Diet
Burmese pythons are carnivores that prey on a variety of mammals, birds, and reptiles. They hunt by lying motionless and striking when prey comes within range, using their sharp, back-curving teeth to secure their catch before coiling around it and suffocating it. They can consume prey as large as deer, pigs, and even alligators! They swallow their meals whole, with jaws that can separate to accommodate animals several times the width of their head. In the wild, they do not eat daily – after a large meal, they may go weeks or even months without feeding.
FUN FACT
Burmese pythons are among the largest snakes in the world and are non-venomous. Unlike most snakes, they have two lungs instead of one, with one being much smaller. The females incubate their eggs by coiling around them and generating heat through muscle contractions – similar to shivering – until they hatch.
LIFE SPAN
23 - 25 years.
HABITAT
Burmese pythons are native to South and Southeast Asia, including Northeastern India, Southern China, Burma, Thailand, and the Malay Peninsula. They thrive in a range of habitats, including dry forests, grasslands, marshes, swamps, rocky foothills, and river valleys. They depend on a permanent freshwater source and are often found near streams, where they may rest partially or fully submerged. In the wild, they nest in tree hollows, under fallen logs, or in open ground sites.
