Common names: Borneo short-tailed python, Borneo python.

Python curtus breitensteini is a non-venomous python subspecies

Subspecies

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...

 found mostly on the island of Borneo

Borneo

Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....

.

Description

Adults have been reported to attain a length of 2.1 m (7 feet), although they are usually no more than 1.2 m (4 feet). Heavy-bodied, they can weigh as much as 13.6 kg (30 lb). Females are generally larger than males. The head is broad with several thermoreceptive pits along the nose. The tail is short and tapering.

The color pattern is usually tan with brown blotching, which varies greatly. Though there have been no reported instances of albinism

Albinism

Albinism is a congenital disorder characterized by the complete or partial absence of pigment in the skin, hair and eyes due to absence or defect of an enzyme involved in the production of melanin...

, a few individuals display a significantly lighter color, appearing more yellow than brown. Juveniles have a more contrasting pattern than adults. The head is usually yellow.

Geographic range

Found mostly in Indonesia

Indonesia

Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...

 and Malaysia, on the island of Borneo

Borneo

Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....

, they also have been recorded in Singapore

Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

. Has also been found on Sumatra

Sumatra

Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...

, Bangka Island

Bangka Island

Bangka is an island lying east of Sumatra, Indonesia. Population 626,955. Area: c.4,600 sq mi .There is an additional small island named Pulau Bangka in northern Sulawesi, Indonesia.-Geography:...

 and others islands in the Strait of Malacca

Strait of Malacca

The Strait of Malacca is a narrow, stretch of water between the Malay Peninsula and the Indonesian island of Sumatra. It is named after the Malacca Sultanate that ruled over the archipelago between 1414 to 1511.-Extent:...

, including the Lingga Island

Lingga Island

Lingga Island is the largest and most populated of the Lingga Islands, Indonesia. It has an area of . It is located south of the Riau Islands off the east coast of Sumatra. The other major island of the archipelago is Singkep....

, the Riau Islands, and Bintan

Bintan

Bintan Island or Negeri Segantang Lada is an island in the Riau archipelago of Indonesia. It is part of the Riau Islands province, the capital of which, Tanjung Pinang, lies in the island's south and is the island's main community....

.

The type locality given is "Teweh, Borneo."

Habitat

Typically found at lower elevations, on poorly drained flood plains, or on the edges of swampy areas. Man-made irrigation of farmland has also provided appropriate habitat.

Captivity

While the species as a whole generally has a reputation for being mean-tempered, this subspecies is increasing in popularity among reptile

Reptile

Reptiles are members of a class of air-breathing, ectothermic vertebrates which are characterized by laying shelled eggs , and having skin covered in scales and/or scutes. They are tetrapods, either having four limbs or being descended from four-limbed ancestors...

 enthusiasts. This is due to captive bred

Captive breeding

Captive breedingis the process of breeding animals in human controlled environments with restricted settings, such as wildlife reserves, zoos and other conservation facilities; sometimes the process is construed to include release of individual organisms to the wild, when there is sufficient...

specimens being recognized as easier to handle than wild-caught snakes. Almost all of the early imported animals were animals that were originally caught for the skin trade.