Python is only found in Asia, Africa, and Australia. These species are considered old world snakes. The word Python comes from Pythonidae. Python is very famous all over the world because this snake is non-venomous and very popular in every country. The reason for the popularity is TV shows, film industries, and social media. About 42 species of Python has been found according to the Reptile Database. The previous world record holder was reticulated nickname Fluffy. When measured on 30 September 2009, she was found to be over 24 ft long. Fluffy sadly died at the Columbus Zoo Aquarium, Powell, Ohio, USA, on 26 Oct 2010 due to an apparent tumor. She was 18 years old and still 24 feet long.
Physical Appearance of Python
The family Pythonidae contains many largest snakes in the world. Most of the species are giant, Reticulated which can grow up to 30 feet in length. There are also very small species of Python named Anthill which grows up to 24 inches only. This species is considered world smallest snake in the Python family. Their color and scale pattern, have a little different in every species of this kind because their color is mostly solid brown to solid green. There are many other commonalities in these 42 species of Python. Pythons are very large and have a triangular-shaped head with their sharp backward-curving teeth that they use to grab prey. The spurs of males are larger than the spurs of females. Pythons also have two lungs, but most of the snakes have evolved to have only one lung.
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Diet and Habitat
From centuries, Python family lives in mostly warm and wet weather of Asia, Africa, Oceania, and Australia but many species move towards the rain forest, grasslands, woodlands, and swamps. Some of the species love to live underground like under rocks, abandoned mammal burrows and tree branches but in 21-century python lives with humans as their pet. They create their own burrow by digging the holes with the help of their head and scooped out the dirt or mud by curving their strong neck. Their lower jaw fitting is inside the upper jaw, which keeps dirt out of the snake mouth. Out of 42 species, only one species has made his home in Western Hemisphere and his name is Burmese which is successfully breeding in Florida Everglades because the climate of Everglades is similar to the south Asian swamp.
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Like other snakes, the python didn’t follow after their prey they attack their prey by surprisingly. They use both eyes and smell to pinpoint their prey. Python also has the advantage of special temperature-sensitive pits or holes, along their jaws that can sense the heat of a warm-blooded prey even in the dark or among dense foliage. The python is a constrictor. It grabs its prey with its giant teeth, then quickly wraps coils of its body around the prey and start squeezes. They don’t actually crush the prey and break its bones. It tightly squeezes the prey until animal can’t breathe each time its prey take breathe, the constrictor tightens its coils to take up space which causing suffocation and its prey died soon.
Behavior
Because of their heavyweight, python movement is like someone scooting forward in a straight line, this movement behavior is called “rectilinear progression”. Pythons ribs are very stiffened to support against the ground, they lift their belly and push themselves forward which is a slow movement and pythons can’t go more than1.6 km/h. Many species of python are great swimmers, while others are arboreal. They hang from branches with their strong grabby tail.
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Depending on the size of the snake, pythons can eat birds, lizards, and mammals like monkeys, dogs, goats, deer, and pigs. African rock python was even found to have a small leopard in its stomach! Once the meal is consumed, pythons look for a warm place to take some rest while their food is digested.
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Some of their species lay eggs in a shallow nest and to save their eggs they cover their nest with leaves and soil.
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Most of the Python mothers stay around their eggs to protect the eggs from cold, so to prevent the eggs; larger species of mothers warm their eggs by shivering.