Python

The python is a large, non-venomous snake that kills its prey by squeezing. Pythons live in warm parts of Africa, Asia, and Australia. There are more than 40 different python species. They belong to a group called constrictors, which also includes boas and anacondas. Unlike venomous snakes, pythons do not use poison to hunt.

Pythons come in many sizes. The smallest, the anthill python of Australia, grows only about 20 inches long. The biggest is the reticulated python of Southeast Asia. It can reach more than 20 feet in length and weigh over 300 pounds, about as heavy as a large refrigerator. Reticulated pythons are the longest snakes in the world.

A python hunts by waiting quietly, often hidden in leaves or water. When an animal passes close, the snake strikes fast. It grabs the prey with its curved teeth and wraps its body around it in tight coils. Each time the animal breathes out, the python squeezes tighter. Scientists once thought pythons killed by suffocation, but newer research shows the squeezing also cuts off blood flow. The animal loses consciousness in under a minute.

Pythons swallow their meals whole. Their jaws are held together by stretchy tissue, which lets the mouth open very wide. A large python can swallow a deer or a small pig. Digesting a big meal takes weeks, so pythons do not need to eat often. Some only eat a few times a year.

Most snakes lay their eggs and leave. Pythons are different. The female coils around her eggs to protect them. She can even shiver her muscles to warm the eggs, almost like a bird sitting on a nest. A clutch may hold 100 eggs. The babies hatch already able to hunt on their own.

Pythons have become famous for a serious problem in Florida. Starting in the 1980s, people released pet Burmese pythons into the Everglades. The snakes found plenty of food and no natural enemies. Today, tens of thousands of them live in the swamp. They have wiped out most of the small mammals in parts of the park. Wildlife officials now hold python-hunting contests to try to control them.

In many cultures, pythons appear in stories as symbols of strength and mystery. Ancient Greeks told of a giant serpent named Python that guarded the sacred city of Delphi. The computer programming language called Python was named after a comedy show, not the snake, though its logo still shows two snakes wrapped together.