Morelia spilota imbricata
Encyclopedia
Morelia spilota imbricata is a large snake
found in southern regions of Western Australia
and western South Australia
. A member of the python family, it is commonly known as the Southern Carpet Python.
of Morelia spilota. The abundant and well known genus Morelia contains five species across Australia, but it is only this subspecies that occurs in the west.
It has a length up to 2.3 metres, 2.0 m from snout to vent. This species has a well defined neck and small scales across the head. Males may be up to 1.1 kg in weight, females may be four times larger when fully grown. Larger individuals have been given as 4 metres in length.
Several other similar pythons occur in its range. The Woma, Aspidites ramsayi, lacks the obvious neck of M. spilota imbricata, and the Western Stimson's python, Antaresia stimsoni stimsoni, has more rows of scales at the underside.
The habitat is coastal areas, woodland, heathland, and semi arid. It is often found in woodlands of Eucalypt and Banksia, or amongst grasses or low growing shrubs. It is discrete and slow moving, spending most of its time hidden, though occasionally it is seen attempting to cross roads. Typically this python is sedentary, but females in a survey at Garden Island were noted to be active most of the year. M. spilota imbricata takes up residence in deep crevices or holes in limestone, on granite, in dense heath, and animal burrows. The diet of this subspecies is eat geckos, house mice, birds, and marsupials, including the Tammar wallaby
.
Individuals may have a large range, occupying hollow logs in cooler months and wandering across areas up to 20 ha. Males tend to have a larger range. They appear to return to the same sites, even after long absences, which may contribute to a threat of extinction.
, a typical mediterranean climate
, and into the central arid and semi arid regions. The northern extent is to Geraldton and it is found as far east as Eyre
. The python also occurs on islands at the Houtman Abrolhos
, Garden Island
, and the Archipelago of the Recherche
. There are records of the subspecies beyond the eastern mainland range from St Francis Island in South Australia
's Nuyts Archipelago
.
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
found in southern regions of Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
and western South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
. A member of the python family, it is commonly known as the Southern Carpet Python.
Description
A member of the Pythonidae which is closely related to other Australian Diamond or Carpet pythons (Morelia), placed as a subspeciesSubspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
of Morelia spilota. The abundant and well known genus Morelia contains five species across Australia, but it is only this subspecies that occurs in the west.
It has a length up to 2.3 metres, 2.0 m from snout to vent. This species has a well defined neck and small scales across the head. Males may be up to 1.1 kg in weight, females may be four times larger when fully grown. Larger individuals have been given as 4 metres in length.
Several other similar pythons occur in its range. The Woma, Aspidites ramsayi, lacks the obvious neck of M. spilota imbricata, and the Western Stimson's python, Antaresia stimsoni stimsoni, has more rows of scales at the underside.
The habitat is coastal areas, woodland, heathland, and semi arid. It is often found in woodlands of Eucalypt and Banksia, or amongst grasses or low growing shrubs. It is discrete and slow moving, spending most of its time hidden, though occasionally it is seen attempting to cross roads. Typically this python is sedentary, but females in a survey at Garden Island were noted to be active most of the year. M. spilota imbricata takes up residence in deep crevices or holes in limestone, on granite, in dense heath, and animal burrows. The diet of this subspecies is eat geckos, house mice, birds, and marsupials, including the Tammar wallaby
Tammar Wallaby
The Tammar Wallaby , also known as the Dama Wallaby or Darma Wallaby, is a small member of the kangaroo family and is the model species for research on kangaroos and marsupials. It is found on offshore islands on the South Australian and Western Australian coast...
.
Individuals may have a large range, occupying hollow logs in cooler months and wandering across areas up to 20 ha. Males tend to have a larger range. They appear to return to the same sites, even after long absences, which may contribute to a threat of extinction.
Conservation
Morelia spilota imbricata is widespread and thought to have large populations, but is exposed to the threatening processes of its distribution range. Noted in the assessment of its conservation status are land clearing and altered fire regimes, as it typically occupyies a large undisturbed habitat. The impact of introduced predators, known to be foxes and cats, have not been assessed. Population densities have declined in the Esperance region. The various threat assessments have described it as near threatened (Red list 2000) and 'specially protected fauna' under its region's Wildlife Conservation Act. The hollow logs favored by the species are not produced by altered fire regimes or cleared in plantations.Geographic range
It occupies all the regions of Southwest AustraliaSouthwest Australia
Southwest Australia is a biodiversity hotspot that includes the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub ecoregions of Western Australia. The region has a wet-winter, dry-summer Mediterranean climate, one of five such regions in the world...
, a typical mediterranean climate
Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate is the climate typical of most of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin, and is a particular variety of subtropical climate...
, and into the central arid and semi arid regions. The northern extent is to Geraldton and it is found as far east as Eyre
Eyre
-Places:*Eyre, Isle of Skye, Skye, Scotland*Electoral district of Eyre, Western Australia*Eyre River *Eyre Highway, South and Western Australia*Eyre Bird Observatory, Western Australia*Eyre Peninsula, South Australia...
. The python also occurs on islands at the Houtman Abrolhos
Houtman Abrolhos
The Houtman Abrolhos is a chain of 122 islands, and associated coral reefs, in the Indian Ocean off the west coast of Australia. Nominally located at , it lies about eighty kilometres west of Geraldton, Western Australia...
, Garden Island
Garden Island
Garden Island may refer to:Australia:* Garden Island, New South Wales* Garden Island, Tasmania* Garden Island , near PerthCanada:* Garden Island , Ontario* Garden Island , Ontario...
, and the Archipelago of the Recherche
Archipelago of the Recherche
Archipelago of the Recherche is a group of 105 islands, and over 1200 "obstacles to shipping", off the southern coast of Western Australia. The islands, also known as the Recherche Archipelago, stretch from East to West and to off-shore....
. There are records of the subspecies beyond the eastern mainland range from St Francis Island in South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
's Nuyts Archipelago
Nuyts Archipelago
The Nuyts Archipelago, including the Isles of St Francis, comprises a group of mainly small and mostly granitic islands lying off Ceduna, South Australia, at the eastern end of the Great Australian Bight and the north-western coast of the Eyre Peninsula...
.