Australian scrub python

Last updated

Simalia kinghorni
Australian Scrub Python (Morelia kinghorni) Australia Zoo.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Pythonidae
Genus: Simalia
Species:
S. kinghorni
Binomial name
Simalia kinghorni
(Stull, 1933)
Synonyms [1]
  • Liasis amethistinus kinghorni
    Stull, 1933
  • Australiasis kinghorni
    — Wells & Wellington, 1984
  • Morelia kinghorni
    — Harvey et al., 2000
  • Simalia kinghorni
    — Reynolds et al., 2014
Releasing a scrub python back to the wild, near Cooktown. 1999 Releasing a Scrub python back to the wild, near Cooktown. 1999.jpg
Releasing a scrub python back to the wild, near Cooktown. 1999

The Australian scrub python (Simalia kinghorni), or simply scrub python is a species of snake in the family Pythonidae. The species is indigenous to forests of northern Australia. It is one of the world's longest and largest snakes, and is the longest and largest in Australia. Recently, it has been reclassified to the genus Simalia alongside a few other former Morelia species, but scientific debate over this continues.

Contents

Taxonomy

American herpetologist Olive Griffith Stull described the taxon in 1933 from a specimen at the Museum of Comparative Zoology that had been collected at Lake Barrine in north Queensland, classifying it as a subspecies of the amethystine python based on its larger number of scales. [2] The specific name, kinghorni, is in honour of Australian herpetologist and ornithologist James Roy Kinghorn. [3] It was first raised to species status by Wells and Wellington in 1984, and given the name Australiasis kinghorni. American biologist Michael Harvey and colleagues investigated the amethystine python complex and confirmed its classification as a separate species based on cladistic analysis of mitochondrial cytochrome b sequences and morphology. [4] In 2014 cladistic analysis of nuclear and mitochondrial genes of pythons and boas, R. Graham Reynolds and colleagues concluded that the support for its distinctness was weak. [5]

Description

This snake is commonly considered arboreal or tree-dwelling, making it one of the world's largest and longest arboreal species of snakes. This snake has an ornate back pattern consisting of browns and tans, with many different natural variations. Its belly is usually white, sometimes with some yellows.

Size

S. kinghorni exhibits an unusual sexual dimorphism among pythons. Males are usually a third longer and twice as heavy. Females reach sexual maturity with a snout-vent length of about 2.27 m (7.4 ft) while males reach sexual maturity with snout-vent length of 1.34 m (4.4 ft). [6] On Tully, a river about 140 km south of Cairns, 24 adult females were measured. They had an average length from head to body of 2.68 m (8.8 ft) and a mass of 3.4 kg (7.5 lb). In the same place, 80 adult males had an average snout-vent length of 2.91 m (9.5 ft) and a weight of 5.1 kg (11 lb). Of these, the largest male had a head-to-body length of 3.76 m (12.3 ft) and a weight of 11 kg (24 lb). [7] In the past, data on the lengths of individuals longer than 6 meters were repeatedly mentioned in the literature, and all of them today can no longer be verified and cause serious doubts, in particular, in Fearn & Sambono (2000). The most extreme information comes from Worell, who reported in 1954 second-hand about an animal allegedly 8.5 m (28 ft) long from Greenhill in Cairns, [4] described it as 7.6 m (25 ft) in 1958 and repeatedly mentioned the same thing in 1963 under the first length. He leaves open the question of whether the mass refers to a corpse or to skin stretched more than 3 m (9.8 ft). Dean also describes an extremely large specimen from Barron Falls in 1954 with a total length of 7.2 m (24 ft), which, however, consisted of an artificially stretched frame that decomposed in the tropics for more than two days, though it was considered reliable by the staff of the Guinness Book of World Records . [8] The largest female Australian scrub python, seriously measured to date, was caught in Palm Cove near Cairns in 2000, had a total length of 5.65 m (18.5 ft), 12 cm (4.7 in) on the head and 75 cm (30 in) on the tail, a circumference in the middle of the body of 36 cm (14 in) and a weight of 24 kg (53 lb). [9] [10] The largest male seriously measured to date was discovered in Kuranda in 2002, its length was 5.33 m (17.5 ft), of which the length of the head was 11 cm (4.3 in), and the incomplete tail was 60 cm (24 in), and the weight was 19 kg (42 lb). [10] [11] However, individuals are also known measured even more large sizes, some can weigh more than 27 kg (60 lb) with a length of more than 5 m (16 ft). [12] [13] [14]

Distribution and habitat

Distribution of S. kinghorni: range shown as dark green region Distribution of Morelia amtehistina-complex.jpg
Distribution of S. kinghorni: range shown as dark green region

S. kinghorni in mostly is found in Northern Australia, in Queensland and Cape York Peninsula. The species also occurs in several Islands of Torres Strait (e.g. Hinchinbrook). On the mainland, its range extends from the tip of the Cape York Peninsula south along the coastal rainforest through the Atherton Tableland, the forested eastern foothills of the Great Dividing Range, along the coast through Mount Speck to the Burdekin River south of Townsville. [15] In 2004, an even more southern population was described in the Conway rainforest, south of Airlie Beach. [16] Accurate information about the population size and possible connections with more northern populations is not yet available. However, it is assumed that it was installed in 1990 by adult animals that escaped from the local zoo, and has been successfully distributed since then living within various forests and more densely vegetated parts of the Australian bush. [15]

Diet

Scrub python swallows small wallaby near Daintree National Park , Australia Morelia kinghorni swallows a small Macropod.jpg
Scrub python swallows small wallaby near Daintree National Park , Australia

S. kinghorni is one of the largest land predators in Australia, and depending on the habitat, age and size, the prey range can vary from small mammals, birds and reptiles to wallabies. The basis of the diet consists of birds and mammals. [7] Among them, for example, rainbow bee-eaters (Merops ornatus), [4] bush rats (Rattus fuscipes), [7] northern quolls (Dasyurus hallucatus), [17] spectacled flying fox (Pteropus conspicillatus), northern brown bandicoots (Isoodon macrourus), [7] long-nosed bandicoots (Perameles nasuta) and striped possums (Dactylopsila trivirgata). In addition, on the outskirts of settlements, the species repeatedly feeds on domestic poultry. [18] Relatively often there is also predation of pythons on small wallaby species [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] in particular agile wallabies (Notamacropus agilis), red-legged pademelons (Thylogale stigmatica) and Bennett's tree-kangaroos (Dendrolagus bennettianus). One of the largest animal victims documented to date was a 10 kg (22 lb) adult mobile wallaby, which was swallowed by a female python 4.33 m (14.2 ft) long and weighing 13.5 kg (30 lb). [24]

In captivity

The Australian scrub python is somewhat rare in the pet trade outside of Australia. However, with captive breeding projects and hobbyists interested in the species, it is becoming more available, with its New Guinea counterparts being much more available (especially in the United States).

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green tree python</span> Species of snake

The green tree python, also known as the emerald green python, is a species of snake in the family Pythonidae. The species is native to New Guinea, some islands in Indonesia, and the Cape York Peninsula in Australia. First described by Hermann Schlegel in 1872, it was known for many years as Chondropython viridis. As its common name suggests, it is a bright green snake that can reach a total length of 2 m (6.6 ft) and a weight of 1.6 kg (3.5 lb), with females slightly larger and heavier than males. Living generally in trees, the green tree python mainly hunts and eats small reptiles and mammals. It is a popular pet, and numbers in the wild have suffered with large-scale smuggling of wild-caught green tree pythons in Indonesia. Despite this, the green tree python is rated as least concern on the IUCN Red List of endangered species.

<i>Morelia spilota</i> Species of snake

Morelia spilota, commonly known as the carpet python, is a large snake of the family Pythonidae found in Australia, New Guinea, Bismarck Archipelago, and the northern Solomon Islands. Many subspecies are recognised; ITIS lists six, the Reptile Database six, and the IUCN eight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green anaconda</span> Species of snake

The green anaconda, also known as the giant anaconda, emerald anaconda, common anaconda, common water boa, or southern green anaconda, is a boa species found in South America and the Caribbean island of Trinidad. It is the largest, heaviest and the second longest snake in the world, after the reticulated python. No subspecies are currently recognized. Like all boas, it is a non-venomous constrictor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Children's python</span> Species of reptile

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spotted python</span> Species of reptile

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<i>Simalia boeleni</i> Species of snake

Simalia boeleni is a species of python, a nonvenomous snake in the family Pythonidae. The species is endemic to the mountains of New Guinea. No subspecies are recognized. Its common names include Boelen's python and the black python.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amethystine python</span> Species of snake

The amethystine python, also known as the scrub python or sanca permata in Indonesian, is a species of non-venomous snake in the family Pythonidae. The species is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. Popular among reptile enthusiasts, and noted for its coloration and size, it is one of the largest snakes in the world, as measured either by length or weight, and is the largest native snake in Papua New Guinea. Until 2000, the larger S. kinghorni was generally considered a subspecies of S. amethistina, and this change of classification has still not been universally reflected in literature. Because of this issue, S. amethistina has often been described as the largest snake in Australia, but this is not accurate since under the current classification, this species does not occur in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rough-scaled python</span> Species of snake

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oenpelli python</span> Species of snake

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<i>Simalia</i> Genus of snakes

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<i>Morelia spilota spilota</i> Subspecies of snake

Morelia spilota spilota is a subspecies of carpet python, popularly known as the diamond python. It is a medium to large snake, found in coastal areas and adjacent ranges of south-eastern Australia. It is the most southerly occurring python in the world and is found at higher altitudes than any other species of Australian python.

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<i>Simalia tracyae</i> Species of snake

Simalia tracyae, the Halmahera python, is a species of python found only on the Indonesian island of Halmahera. It belongs to the family Pythonidae and the genus Simalia. This snake was previously believed to have belonged to the Simalia amesthistina species; however, studies in recent years have caused scientists to distinguish between the two types of snakes, resulting in the reclassification of the Halmahera python as its own species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David G. Barker</span>

David G. Barker is an American herpetologist specialized in pythons and rattlesnakes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tracy M. Barker</span> American herpetologist

Tracy Jo Barker is an American herpetologist specializing in pythons.

References

  1. ↑ Species Simalia kinghorni at The Reptile Database
  2. ↑ Stull, Olive Griffith (1933). "Two new subspecies of the family Boidae" (PDF). Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology University of Michigan (267): 1–4.
  3. ↑ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN   978-1-4214-0135-5. (Morelia kinghorni, p. 141).
  4. 1 2 3 Harvey, Michael B.; Barker, David G.; Ammerman, Loren K.; Chippindale, Paul T. (2000). "Systematics of Pythons of the Morelia amethistina Complex (Serpentes: Boidae) with the Description of three new Species". Herpetological Monographs. 14: 139–185. doi:10.2307/1467047. JSTOR   1467047.
  5. ↑ Reynolds, R. Graham; Niemiller, Matthew L.; Revell, Liam J. (2014). "Toward a tree-of-life for the boas and pythons: multilocus species-level phylogeny with unprecedented taxon sampling". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 71: 201–213. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2013.11.011. PMID   24315866.
  6. ↑ A. Freeman, C. Bruce: The Things You Find on the Road: Roadkill and Incidental Data as an Indicator of Habitat Use in Two Species of Tropical Pythons. In: R. W. Henderson, R. Powell (Hrsg.): Biology of the Boas and Pythons. Eagle Mountain Publishing Company, Eagle Mountain 2007, ISBN   978-0-9720154-3-1, pp. 153–165.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Fearn S; Schwarzkopf L; Shine R. "Giant snakes in tropical forests: a field study of Australian scrub pythons" (PDF). CSIRO Publishing / Wildlife Research. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 2013-01-10.
  8. ↑ Wood, Gerald (1983). The Guinness Book of Animal Facts and Feats . Guinness Superlatives. ISBN   978-0-85112-235-9.
  9. ↑ S. L. Fearn; J. Sambono (2000). "A reliable size record for the Scrub Python Morelia amethistina (Serpentes: Pythonidae) in north east Queensland". Herpetofauna. 30: 2–6. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  10. 1 2 Scanlon, John D. (2014). "3". Giant terrestrial reptilian carnivores of Cenozoic Australia. CSIRO Publishing.
  11. ↑ S. L. Fearn: Notes on a maximal sized Scrub Python Morelia amethistina (Serpentes: Pythonidae) from Kuranda, North East Queensland. Herpetofauna 32, 2002, pp. 2–3.
  12. ↑ "Two monster scrub pythons caught in Speewah near Cairns in two days". Cairnssnakecatcher.com.au. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  13. ↑ "5.5m Scrub Python in Speewah". Cairnssnakecatcher.com.au. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  14. ↑ "Big Scrub Python – Machans Beach". Cairnssnakecatcher.com.au. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  15. 1 2 S. L. Fearn, D. Trembath: Southern distribution limits and a traslocated population of scrub python Morelia kinghorni (Serpentes: Pythonidae) in tropical Queensland. Herpetofauna 36, Tom 2, 2006, pp. 85–87.
  16. ↑ J. Augusteyn: Southerly range extension for the amethystine python Morelia kinghorni (Squamata: Boidae) in Queensland. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 49, Tom 2, 2004, p. 602, online, pdf
  17. ↑ S. L. Fearn, J. Sambono: Some ambush predation postures of the Scrub Python Morelia amethistina (Serpentes: Pythonidae) in north east Queensland. Herpetofauna 30, 2000, pp. 39–44.
  18. ↑ R. W. Martin: Field Observation of Predation on Bennett's Treekangaroo (Dendrolagus bennettianus) by an Amethystine Python (Morelia amethistina). Herpetological Review 26, Tom 2, 1995, pp. 74–76
  19. ↑ "Snake eats wallaby on Australian golf course". Bbc.com. 13 December 2016. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  20. ↑ "Snake filmed eating snake in Ipswich". Brisbanetimes.com.au. 3 January 2017. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  21. ↑ Huge Python Caught Devouring Whole Wallaby. Caters Clips. 12 February 2019. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  22. ↑ "Giant python devours wallaby in Australia, shocking photos show". Foxnews.com. 13 February 2019. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  23. ↑ "This video of a 17-foot python swallowing a whole kangaroo is weirdly mesmerising". Businessinsider.com. 22 February 2016. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  24. ↑ S. Fearn: Morelia amethistina (Scrub Python). Diet. Herpetological Review 33, Tom 1, 2002, pp. 58–59


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