Python brongersmai
| Python brongersmai | |
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| File:Bloodpython.jpg | |
| Adult blood python | |
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| Species: | P. brongersmai
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| Binomial name | |
| Python brongersmai Stull, 1938
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The blood python (Python brongersmai) is a heavy-bodied, forest-dwelling snake found in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Sumatra. It was until 2001 a subspecies of Python curtus, but all three subspecies of P. curtus have been elevated to full species status. The other two species are still often referred to as "blood pythons," with P. brongersmai being referred to as the red blood python.
Description
Blood pythons generally grow to lengths of 4.5-6 ft as adults, with females usually several inches longer than males. Adult blood pythons usually weigh between 12 and 20 lb, much more than other snakes of similar length, due to the blood python's large girth. The ground color of the blood python ranges from rich, bright red to orange to a duller rusty red, though there are known populations of yellow and brown blood pythons. There are yellow and tan blotches and stripes that run down the back of the snake, as well as tan and black spots that extend up the side of the snake. The belly is white, often with small black markings. A blood python's head is usually a shade of grey; individual snakes can change how light and dark the head is. Blood pythons have a white stripe that runs from the posterior edge of the eye down the face and to the belly.
Behavior
Blood pythons are nocturnal snakes, spending most of the day hiding under leaves, logs, and shallow water in the marshy forests they inhabit. They do not actively hunt; rather, they lie in wait for rodents and other small mammals to wander by. Blood pythons are oviparous and can lay up to 30 eggs at once. The mother snake coils around her eggs and shivers her body, producing heat to incubate the eggs properly. This incubation method is a common trait among pythons.
Blood pythons as pets
Once widely known as unpredictable and aggressive, blood pythons are gradually becoming more common among herpetoculturists. Formerly, many of the blood pythons in captivity were wild-caught adults from Malaysia; blood pythons from Malaysia are known to be more aggressive than those from Sumatra and Indonesia, from which most of the wild-caught, wild-bred, and captive-bred stock now have descended. Captive-raised baby blood pythons generally grow into mild-tempered, somewhat-predictable adult snakes. This, combined with several new brightly-colored captive bloodlines, is helping to boost the popularity of these much-maligned snakes in the reptile hobby.
References
Barker, Dave and Tracy (November 2007). "Blood Pythons," Reptiles Magazine. Bowtie Publishing.
Blood Pythons, Informations and Care (Vida Preciosa International, Inc.)
NERD Herpetocultural Library