Python curtus brongersmai
Encyclopedia
Python curtus brongersmai, a subspecies
python, is a non-venomous snake found on the Malay Peninsula
.
The color pattern consists of rich, bright red to orange to a duller rusty red ground color, although populations with yellow and brown are known. This is overlaid with yellow and tan blotches and stripes that run the length of the body, as well as tan and black spots that extend up the flanks. The belly is white, often with small black markings. The head is usually a shade of grey; individual snakes can change how light and dark the head is. A white postocular stripe runs down and back from the posterior edge of the eye.
Common names for Python curtus brongersmai include the regional Malayan short python and the red blood python for its colour variation. Orange-red colour morphs are only found among this population.
, Malay Peninsula
."
(Sumatra
), from which most of the wild-caught, wild-bred, and captive-bred stock are now descended. Captive-raised juveniles generally become mild-tempered, somewhat-predictable adults. This, combined with several new brightly-colored captive bloodlines, is helping to boost the popularity of these much-maligned snakes among reptile hobbyists.
The snake is part of a commercial harvest for leather.
in 1938. The group has since been elevated and recognised as a full species by Pauwels et al. (2000).
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...
python, is a non-venomous snake found on the Malay Peninsula
Malay Peninsula
The Malay Peninsula or Thai-Malay Peninsula is a peninsula in Southeast Asia. The land mass runs approximately north-south and, at its terminus, is the southern-most point of the Asian mainland...
.
Description
Adults generally grow to 137-182 cm (4.5-6 feet) in length, with females usually a little longer than males, and usually weigh 5.4–9 kg (12-20 lb); much more than other snakes of similar length.The color pattern consists of rich, bright red to orange to a duller rusty red ground color, although populations with yellow and brown are known. This is overlaid with yellow and tan blotches and stripes that run the length of the body, as well as tan and black spots that extend up the flanks. The belly is white, often with small black markings. The head is usually a shade of grey; individual snakes can change how light and dark the head is. A white postocular stripe runs down and back from the posterior edge of the eye.
Common names for Python curtus brongersmai include the regional Malayan short python and the red blood python for its colour variation. Orange-red colour morphs are only found among this population.
Geographic range
The type locality given is "SingaporeSingapore
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...
, Malay Peninsula
Malay Peninsula
The Malay Peninsula or Thai-Malay Peninsula is a peninsula in Southeast Asia. The land mass runs approximately north-south and, at its terminus, is the southern-most point of the Asian mainland...
."
Behavior
These 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.Reproduction
Oviparous, with up to 30 eggs being laid at a time. The female coil around her eggs and shivers her body, producing heat to incubate the eggs properly.Uses
Once widely considered to be generally unpredictable and aggressive, these snakes are gradually becoming more common among herpetoculturists. Formerly, many of the specimens in captivity were wild-caught adults from Malaysia. These are known to be more aggressive than those from IndonesiaIndonesia
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...
(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...
), from which most of the wild-caught, wild-bred, and captive-bred stock are now descended. Captive-raised juveniles generally become mild-tempered, somewhat-predictable adults. This, combined with several new brightly-colored captive bloodlines, is helping to boost the popularity of these much-maligned snakes among reptile hobbyists.
The snake is part of a commercial harvest for leather.
Taxonomy
The subspecies was first described by Olive Griffith StullOlive Griffith Stull
Olive Griffith Stull was an American herpetologist.Stull was born February 10, 1905, in Rochester, New York. She married Loy Davis in 1930, one year after completing her degree at the University of Michigan. She worked in the field of veterinary medicine and contributed to research in a variety of...
in 1938. The group has since been elevated and recognised as a full species by Pauwels et al. (2000).
External links
- Blood Pythons, Informations and Care at Vida Preciosa International, Inc.. Accessed 12 September 2007.
- Blood python care at NERD Herpetocultural Library. Accessed 12 September 2007.