Study on the Indian Python
Study on the Indian Python
Throughout history, humans have regarded snakes with both fascination and horror. In man y cultures, Snakes with have been symbols of evil, from the Biblical serpent in the Garden of Eden to the snake demons of Indian mythology. To the ancient Egyptians the emblem of judgment and death was a snake. However, The Indian Python is a highly arboreal snake, once fairly common throughout the jungles of India, Sri Lanka, and East Indies. Snakes are reptiles, the group of animals that also includes crocodiles, lizards, and turtles. Pythons are the most ancient type of snake; they have remnant spurs, tiny projections where their ancestors might once have had legs.
In the wild, Indian pythons can grow from 10 to 20 feet. They length might weigh 100 or 150 pounds. The average weight for Indian pythons is 50 to 100 pounds. The Indian Python is one of the world’s largest snakes. Like the boas anacondas of the Americas, the python is a constrictor, a snake that kills its prey. Pythons drape across tree branches, camouflaged by their light and dark patterned skin, waiting to ambush their next meal. They grab their prey with a quick lashing out of the head, then wrap themselves around the prey so it cannot breathe. A large python could squeeze the life out of a deer, and amazingly enough, the python could then swallow it whole. Mammals are preferred prey, but they will eat birds, other animals, even fish. They often live near water and are good swimmer. After such a big meal, the snake may not have to eat again for as long as a year.
There are very few authenticated accounts of humans being attacked by pythons, though it certainly is possible since the largest python recorded was over 32 feet (9.8 m) long. Like all pythons and the boas to which they are related, Indian Python is non-venomous. They have teeth which they use to hold onto prey while the giant body squeezes against the creature until it stops breathing. Then, they would swallows their food whole.
A python may live more than 20 years. They are solitary creatures, but males and females seek each other out to mate. The female Indian Python lays as many as 60 eggs at a time, usually in rock crevices or tree holes....