Genus · Pythonidae
Types of pythons
2 species make up the genus Malayopython, the snakes commonly called pythons. None are considered dangerous to humans.
About Asian reticulated and Timor pythons
Malayopython holds two giant Southeast Asian pythons, including the longest snake in the world.
Malayopython is a small genus in the family Pythonidae, the true pythons, a group of nonvenomous constricting snakes native to Africa, Asia, and Australia. The genus was split off from the broad genus Python based on genetic studies, and it currently holds two recognized species: the Reticulated Python (Malayopython reticulatus) and the much smaller Timor Python (Malayopython timoriensis). Both live in Southeast Asia and the surrounding islands, with the Reticulated Python ranging across Indonesia, the Philippines, and the Asian mainland, and the Timor Python restricted to a few islands in the Lesser Sundas.
These are long, muscular, ambush predators. The Reticulated Python is famous for the netlike pattern of dark lines and pale centers along its back, the trait that gives it the name reticulated, and it is the longest snake species on record, with the largest verified individuals exceeding 6 meters. Like all pythons in this family, members have heat-sensing pits along the lips that help them detect warm-blooded prey, and they have small spurs near the vent that are remnants of hind limbs. They kill by constriction, coiling around prey and tightening until circulation stops, then swallowing it whole. Diet is mostly mammals and birds, scaled to the snake's size.
Pythons are not venomous and are not rear-fanged, but a large constrictor is still a powerful animal and a big Reticulated Python is one of the few snakes capable of seriously injuring a person, so wild individuals should not be handled or approached. Pythonidae are egg layers, and females coil around the clutch and incubate the eggs, sometimes generating warmth through muscle contractions. If you are bitten by a large snake or have any medical concern, contact local emergency services, and in the United States you can reach Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222.
Malayopython belongs to the Pythonidae family (Pythons). Old-World egg-laying constrictors, including the longest snakes on Earth. Large and heavy-bodied with blotched or banded patterns, smooth scales, and heat-sensing pits along the lips. No rattle or fangs.
Danger: Non-venomous. Only the very largest species could be a physical danger, and bites are defensive, not venomous.
All species (2)
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