Reticulated Python

Reticulated Python Latest News

A giant female reticulated python discovered deep in the forests of the Indonesian island of Sulawesi late last year is now believed to be the longest measured snake in the world at 7.22 metres (23 feet 8 inches), the Guinness Book of World Records has confirmed.

About Reticulated Python

• It is a giant constricting snake belonging to the python family, Pythonidae. 
• Scientific Name: Malayopython reticulatus
• It is the longest snake in the world and the third heaviest after the green anaconda and the Burmese python. 
• Like all pythons, it is a non-venomous constrictor. 
• It is an ambush predator, usually waiting until prey comes within striking range before trapping it in its rings and killing it by constriction. 

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Reticulated Python Distribution

• • It is native to South and Southeast Asia. 
  • It inhabits tropical forest regions in India, Indonesia, the Philippines, and other parts of Southeast Asia.

Reticulated Python Features

• Specimens have been recorded reaching a length of more than 7 metres and weighing more than 160 kg.
• They have grayish-tan bodies with X- or diamond-shaped blotches containing black, white, yellow, and red scales.
• The name ‘reticulated’ comes from the intricate and beautiful pattern of its skin, which resembles a net (or ‘lattice’). 
• The snake’s head has smooth brown scales. 
• The head is elongated with a dark line down the middle, and the eyes are orange with vertical pupils.
• Embedded in the lip scales are heat-sensing pits that can detect any object or prey whose temperature exceeds that of the surrounding environment.

Reticulated Python Conservation Status

It is classified as ‘Least Concern‘ under the IUCN Red List.

Source: DTE