Malaysian Blood Python

Python brongersmai is a species of non-venomous snake in the family Pythonidae. The species is native to Southeast Asia. Previously considered a subspecies of Python curtus, it was recognized as a distinct species around 2000.

Common names

Common names for P. brongersmai include blood python, Brongersma's short-tailed python, Malaysian blood python, red blood python, red short-tailed python, and Sumatran blood python.

Etymology

The specific name, brongersmai, is in honor of Dutch herpetologist Leo Brongersma.

Geographic range

P. brongersmai is found in peninsular (Western) Malaysia, Sumatra east of the central dividing range of mountains, Bangka Island and other islands in the Strait of Malacca, including the Lingga Islands, Riau islands, and Pinang, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of P. brongersmai is marshes and tropical swamps in forest, at altitudes from sea level to 650 m (2,130 ft).

Behaviour

Python brongersmai is a primarily crepuscular species (usually active around dawn and dusk).

Size

Hatchlings of P. brongersmai range from 25–43 cm (10–17 in) in total length (including tail). Adult males typically range from 91–152 cm (36–60 in) in total length, and females between 120–180 cm (48–72 in) although a few have been recorded at 240 cm (96 in). These snakes generally look overweight due to their robust structure.

Lifespan

P. brongersmai can live up to about 20 years in captivity.

Coloration

The color pattern of P. brongersmai 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.

Reproduction

Python brongersmai is oviparous, with up to 30 eggs being laid at a time. The female coils around her eggs and shivers her body, producing heat to incubate the eggs properly.

Commercial trade

Once widely considered to be generally unpredictable and aggressive, P. brongersmai is 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 Indonesia (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.