Pythons

When people hear the word python, they immediately conjure up images of snakes from horror movies. The python, however, is much more than a snake to be used in fiction; the constrictor is, in fact, a fascinating reptile. Its size alone makes it an amazing creature. The infamous reptile can grow as long as thirty feet. The only other snake that equals the python is the South American green anaconda. These larger pythons can be naturally found in both Africa and Asia. Australia has a much smaller type of python that only grows to be about two feet long. Of course, this type is rarely the star of a horror movie!

Pythons generally eat small mammals and lizards. The larger snakes can, however, kill larger animals, such as pigs. These snakes do not kill their prey with venom. Instead, they squeeze their prey to death. The constrictor wraps its long body around an animal and then tightens its body until the animal can no longer breathe and blood can no longer flow. To consume the animal, the python swallows its prey whole. Because the animal is consumed in one bite, digestion generally takes several days. Any animal coming after the python has just eaten is generally safe because the creature simply doesn’t have room after consuming a large meal.

Pythons are reptiles that lay eggs to produce their young. The females keep the eggs warm by wrapping their bodies around them until the eggs hatch. The amount of eggs varies. However, some pythons can have as many as one hundred eggs!