The Burmese Python

Sceintific name of Python Molurus Bivittatus, the burmese python is one of the 6 largest snakes in the world. Full grown a burmese python can weigh upwards of 200 pounds with a length of apx 20 feet long. Females tend to be larger spanning between 13-20 feet long while the males only span 8-17 feet long. Burmese  pythons are constrictors and suffocate their prey in order to kill it. Being that they are constrictors, they do not have fangs and do not have venom. They do however have teeth. Their teeth are back curving in order to grip their prey in an intial strike. This amazing creature also does not have eye lids but has an epidermal membrane in order to protect their eyes. While on the subject of their eyes, the burmese python has poor eye sight so in turn has a few other key features that help them to prey upon their food. On the roof of the burmese pythons mouth is an organ known as the "Jacobson's Organ". This organ along with the aide of the tounge help to sense out food. The burmese python also has heat pits/holes that allow them to feel the heat of animals nearby; animals such as mammals and birds. In captivity, burmese pythons are known to eat anything from mice and rats to rabbits, pigs and goats. Another amazing feature of the burmese python is their mouths. They have stretchy mouth ligaments that allow them to swallow their prey whole. You can find burmese pythons in such locations as grasslands, marshes, swamps, rocky foothills, woodlands and river valley's. They are semi-aborial, or tree dwelling, when young and love to climb. Along with this knowledge, the burmese python is an amazing swimmer and can stay submerged for up to 30 minutes. Like many animals the burmese python can and possible will go through brumation, or in other words hibernation when it is colder than what they are use to. When not in brumation, the burmese python spends majority of its time hiding in the under brush. They are a nocturnal species and are most active at night. When it comes to breeding, females will lay between 12-36 during the spring time. The female will coil themselves around their eggs to incubate them until they are ready to hatch. A hatchling will use it's egg tooth to erupt out of it's egg, but will normally stay within their egg until after there first shed. They are apx 4 oz when first hatched. This species is a very docile snake and is one of the recommended for large snakes to be kept by reptile oweners. Me and my husband personally own 2 ourselves. On a final note the burmese python is very unique in the fact that you can determine gender by external characteristics. Males have more developed anal spurs while the females have relatively smaller heads in proportion to their body size and they can also have different coloration than a male. This is just some general information on the species. They are amazing in many ways and I personally love owning this species!!! Hopefully anyone reading this might have learned something that they did not know about this amazing species of reptile.  =]]