Morelia spilota

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Carpet python
Australian-Carpet-Python.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Pythonidae
Genus: Morelia
Species:
M. spilota
Binomial name
Morelia spilota
(Lacépède, 1804)

Morelia spilota, commonly known as the carpet python, is a large snake of the family Pythonidae found in Australia, New Guinea (Indonesia and Papua New Guinea), Bismarck Archipelago, and the northern Solomon Islands. [1] [2] [3] Many subspecies are recognised; ITIS lists six, [4] the Reptile Database six, [5] and the IUCN eight. [1]

Contents

Description

M. s. spilota PythonSpilotesRooij.jpg
M. s. spilota

M. spilota is a large species of python in the genus, reaching between 2 and 4 m (6.6 and 13.1 ft) in length and weighing up to 15 kg (33 lb). M. s. mcdowelli is the largest subspecies, regularly attaining lengths of 2.7–3.0 m (8.9–9.8 ft). [6] M. s. variegata is the smallest subspecies, typically 120–180 cm (3.9–5.9 ft) in length. The average adult length is roughly 2 m (6.6 ft). However, one 3-year-old captive male M. s. mcdowelli, measured in Ireland, was found to exceed 396 cm (12.99 ft). Males are typically smaller than females; in some regions, females are up to four times heavier. [6] The head is triangular with a conspicuous row of thermoreceptive labial pits.

The colouring of M. spilota is highly variable, ranging from olive to black with white or cream and gold markings. The patterning may be roughly diamond-shaped or have intricate markings made up of light and dark bands on a background of gray or a version of brown.

Reproduction

The species is oviparous, with females laying 10–50 eggs at a time. Afterward, females coil around the eggs to protect them and keep them warm through using muscular contractions to generate heat. [7] This type of maternal care, which is typical for pythons, ceases once the hatchlings have emerged.

Behaviour

Differences in activity are noted throughout various subspecies; as a whole, the species is generally active during both daytime and nighttime, [7] although the subspecies M. s. variegata is noted to be primarily nocturnal. [8] Carpet pythons favor arboreal living conditions, although they can also be found on the ground, and they commonly use open spaces to bask. [7] [8]

Seasonal activity

In the northern Australian city of Darwin, carpet pythons are significantly more likely to be encountered in suburban areas during the dry season months of May–July. [9] This is indicative of shifts in snake behaviour or movement across the year, with snakes likely moving out of natural forest areas in the later dry season to the more productive suburban areas in search of prey or mates.

Diet

Carpet pythons kill prey by constriction. Their diet consists mainly of small mammals, birds, and lizards. Incidents of carpet pythons devouring domestic cats and small dogs have been reported. [10]

Distribution and habitat

The species is found throughout mainland Australia, with the exception of the arid centre and the western regions. It is widely distributed throughout the forest regions of Southwest Australia. [11] It is also found in Indonesia (southern Western New Guinea in Merauke Regency), Papua New Guinea (southern Western Province, the Port Moresby area of Central Province), and on Yule Island. The type locality given is "Nouvelle-Hollande" [Australia]. [12]

It occurs in a wide variety of habitats, from the rainforests of northeastern Queensland ( M. s. cheynei ) through the River Red Gum/Riverbox woodlands of the Murray and Darling Rivers ( M. s. metcalfei ), to the arid, treeless islands of the Nuyts Archipelago off the South Australian west coast ( M. s. imbricata ). It is also found in temperate grasslands with hot and dry weather. It is often found near human habitation, where it performs a useful service by eating rats and other vermin. M. spilota is known to occur in areas that receive snowfall.

Conservation

M. spilota is not threatened as a species. [1] The nominate subspecies, M. s. spilota, is listed as threatened with extinction in Victoria. [13] The subspecies M. s. imbricata is regarded as near threatened in Western Australia, due to loss of habitat. [11]

Captivity

This species is a popular pet among snake enthusiasts. Some forms can be more irascible than others, such as M. s. mcdowelli and M. s. variegata. Forms that tend to be more even tempered include M. s. spilota and M. s. metcalfei. Although they can be nippy as hatchlings, most grow into docile adults. However, care must be taken when feeding, as these snakes have a strong "feeding response" that can be mistaken for aggression.

The care requirements can be generalized for all subspecies. [14] The subspecies M. s. spilota, the cold-weather diamond python, has some separate requirements and habits. [15] As medium to large snakes, carpet pythons need a proportionately sized enclosure that allows for climbing as well as crawling around on the ground. They generally require moderately high basking temperature and moderate humidity. Captive specimens are normally fed live or frozen (defrosted to room temperature) rats or mice, but it is considered best practice to offer a varied diet which includes other types of rodents and birds to create more balanced nutrition. Young carpet pythons can be fed every 1–2 weeks, but adults have slower metabolisms and should be fed every 2–4 weeks depending on body condition.

With good care, the carpet python is capable of living up to 30 years.

Subspecies

The geographic distribution and common names can be summarised as the following: [4] [12]

Subspecies [4] Taxon author [4] Common nameGeographic range
M. s. cheynei
Jungle carpet python in shed Morelia spilota cheynei.tif
Jungle carpet python in shed
Wells & Wellington, 1984
  • jungle carpet python
 Australia in northeastern Queensland
M. s. mcdowelli
Coastal carpet python Australian-Carpet-Python.jpg
Coastal carpet python
Wells & Wellington, 1984
  • coastal carpet python
  • eastern carpet python
  • McDowell's carpet python
Australia in eastern Queensland and northeastern New South Wales
M. s. metcalfei
Murray-Darling carpet python being handled Murray darling carpet python handling.jpg
Murray-Darling carpet python being handled
Wells & Wellington, 1984
  • Murray-Darling carpet python
  • inland carpet python
  • Victorian carpet python
Australia in the Murray-Darling Basin of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia
M. s. spilota
Diamond python in Lamington National Park, Queensland, Australia Carpet Python in Lamington National Park, Queensland, Australia.jpg
Diamond python in Lamington National Park, Queensland, Australia
(Lacépède, 1804)
  • diamond python
Australia in eastern New South Wales and the extreme east of Victoria
M. s. variegata
Morelia spilota variegata Python Australia Zoo.JPG
Morelia spilota variegata
Gray, 1842
  • Torresian carpet python
  • Darwin carpet python
  • northwestern carpet python
  • Irian Jaya carpet python
  • West Papuan carpet python
  • Proserpine carpet python
  • rubber python
New Guinea (Western New Guinea and Papua New Guinea) and Australia in northwestern Western Australia and in the northern portion of the Northern Territory (specimens from New Guinea are referred to by Hoser (2000) as M. harrisoni, but this is not officially recognized as a separate species or subspecies)

Hybrids

Naming and taxonomy

The first description of M. spilota was by Lacépède (1804), who placed it in the genus Coluber as Coluber spilotus. The species has since been described by various authors as containing a number of subspecies and hybrids; these have also been known by various informal names. [3] [5] The attempted arrangement of taxa in this, and other, Australasian Pythonidae has produced numerous synonyms. The discreet and roaming habits of this species have produced a low number of recorded specimens, giving inadequate sample numbers to support descriptions of a taxon's morphology. [13] This is the case with proposed names which are sometimes cited, such as the Papuan Morelia spilota harrisoni (Hoser), [16] despite being unaccepted or invalid. [17] Common names are regional variants of carpet and diamond python or snake. [18] [19]

The following is an incomplete list of synonyms: [12] [5]

Related Research Articles

<i>Antaresia</i> Genus of snakes

Antaresia is a genus of pythons, nonvenomous snakes in the family Pythonidae. The genus is native to Australasia. The genus is known by the common name Children's pythons, the name of the type species, Antaresia childreni. Gray named A. childreni in honour of his mentor, John George Children, who was a curator of the zoological collection at the British Museum around that time. It contains the smallest members of the Pythonidae. Four species and two subspecies are recognized, although they were all considered part of the same species until recently. A newly described form called the pygmy banded python may be a distinct species, but analysis has not yet been performed on this animal. The largest recorded examples of Antaresia species have all been males, suggesting males of the known species in this genus may compete for females. This behavior has never been witnessed in the wild, and has only been witnessed in captive specimens.

<i>Morelia</i> (snake) Genus of large snakes

Morelia is a genus of large snakes in the family Pythonidae found in Indonesia, New Guinea, and throughout Australia. Currently, up to eight species are recognized.

<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.

Carpet snake may refer to:

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

Morelia spilota cheynei, or the jungle carpet python, is a python subspecies found in the rainforests of Queensland, Australia.

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

Morelia bredli is a species of non-venomous snake in the family Pythonidae. The species is endemic to Australia. No subspecies are recognized. Its common names include Bredl's python, the Centralian python, the Centralian carpet python, the central Australian carpet python, Bredl's carpet python, the central Australian Bredl's carpet python, and the central Bredl's carpet 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">Oenpelli python</span> Species of snake

The Oenpelli python or Oenpelli rock python is a species of large snake in the family Pythonidae. The species is endemic to the sandstone massif area of the western Arnhem Land region in the Northern Territory of Australia. There are no subspecies that are recognised as being valid. It has been called the rarest python in the world. Two notable characteristics of the species are the unusually large size of its eggs and its ability to change colour.

<i>Simalia</i> Genus of snakes

Simalia is a genus of snakes in the family Pythonidae.

<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.

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

Morelia spilota metcalfei is a python subspecies found in Australia, commonly known as the Murray-Darling carpet python. The pythons are non-venomous snakes that constrict their prey. They grow up to 2.7m, but adults are usually around 2.4m. Colour varies depending on locality. Victorian Murray-Darlings are silver with solid black blotches and stripes; in New South Wales the silver becomes a light brown and the patterning has more of a black colour; South Australian MDs appear similar to those in New South Wales, though with patches of maroon. These pythons are semi-arboreal, typically inhabiting rocky outcrops, dry woodlands, riverine forests and flood plains. The threats to the snakes are people and other snakes.

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

Morelia spilota variegata, commonly known as Torresian carpet python, Darwin carpet python or northwestern carpet python, is a subspecies of python found in New Guinea and Australia, smaller than the nominate subspecies Morelia spilota spilota and has a more restricted geographic range.

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

Morelia spilota mcdowelli is a subspecies of Morelia spilota, commonly known as the carpet python, and is informally named the eastern, coastal, or McDowell's carpet python. The original description and name were published by Wells and Wellington in 1984. It occurs along the northeastern coast of Australia and in New Guinea.

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

Morelia imbricata is a large snake found in southern regions of Western Australia and western South Australia. A member of the python family, it is commonly known as the southwestern carpet python.

The Warby-Ovens National Park is a national park located on the lands of the Bangerang clan of the Yorta Yorta Nation in the Hume region of Victoria, Australia near Killawara. The 14,655-hectare (36,210-acre) national park is situated approximately 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) west of Wangaratta and 240 kilometres (150 mi) northeast of Melbourne.

<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.

This article lists the various snakes of Australia which live in a wide variety of habitats around the country. The Australian scrub python is Australia's largest native snake.

Samuel Booker McDowell Jr was an American herpetologist who worked on the comparative anatomy of turtles and snakes and studied snakes of Oceania.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Tallowin, O.; Parker, F.; O'Shea, M.; Vanderduys, E.; Wilson, S.; Shea, G.; Hobson, R. (2017). "Morelia spilota". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2017: e.T62232A21649539. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T62232A21649539.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ↑ Browne-Cooper, Robert; Bush, Brian; Maryan, Brad; Robinson, David (2007). Reptiles and Frogs in the Bush: Southwestern Australia. University of Western Australia Press. p. 99. ISBN   978-1-920694-74-6.
  3. 1 2 Cogger, Harold G. Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Morelia spilota". Integrated Taxonomic Information System . Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 Morelia spilota at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database . Accessed 19 January 2016.
  6. 1 2 "Carpet Python Morelia spilota (Lacépède, 1804)". FaunaBase. Department of Environment and Conservation. Archived from the original on 2008-08-10. Retrieved 2008-10-20.
  7. 1 2 3 "Carpet Snake or Carpet Python - Queensland Museum". Queensland Museum. The State of Queensland. 2020-02-10. Retrieved 2020-04-09.
  8. 1 2 "Carpet python - NT.GOV.AU". Northern Territory Government of Australia. 2019-02-05. Retrieved 2020-04-09.
  9. ↑ von Takach, Brenton; Lettoof, Damian Christopher; Parkin, Tom; de Laive, Alana; Allen, Luke; Jolly, Chris J. (2023). "Analysing spatiotemporal patterns of snake occurrence in an Australian city to help manage human-wildlife conflict" . Biodiversity and Conservation. 33: 347–360. doi:10.1007/s10531-023-02752-2. ISSN   1572-9710. S2CID   266154299.
  10. ↑ "Snake swallows Australian Chihuahua dog". Telegraph.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2016-03-08. Retrieved 2016-02-10.
  11. 1 2 Pearson, D.; Shine, R.; Williams, A. (May 2005). "Spatial ecology of a threatened python (Morelia spilota imbricata) and the effects of anthropogenic habitat change". Austral Ecology. 30 (3): 261–274(14). Bibcode:2005AusEc..30..261P. doi:10.1111/j.1442-9993.2005.01462.x.
  12. 1 2 3 McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré T. 1999. Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, Volume 1. Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. ISBN   1-893777-00-6 (series). ISBN   1-893777-01-4 (volume).
  13. 1 2 "Action statement: Diamond Python Morelia spilota" (PDF). Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 No. 104. Department of Sustainability and Environment. Retrieved 2008-10-20.
  14. ↑ "Carpet pythons (Morelia spilotes sp.)". Care Sheet. Monaro Amphibian & Reptile Keepers (MARK). Archived from the original on 2008-07-19. Retrieved 2008-10-20.
  15. ↑ "Diamond Pythons (Morelia spilota spilota)". Care Sheet. Monaro Amphibian & Reptile Keepers (MARK). Archived from the original on 2008-08-28. Retrieved 2008-10-20.
  16. ↑ Hoser, R. (2000a) A revision of the Australasian pythons. Ophidia Review 1(1): 7-27.
  17. ↑ Wüster, W.; B. Bush; J.S. Keogh; M. O'Shea & R. Shine (2001). "Taxonomic contributions in the "amateur" literature: comments on recent descriptions of new genera and species by Raymond Hoser" (PDF). Litteratura Serpentium. 21: 67–79, 86–91. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-08-09.
  18. ↑ Mehrtens JM. 1987. Living Snakes of the World in Color. New York: Sterling Publishers. 480 pp. ISBN   0-8069-6460-X.
  19. ↑ Ditmars RL. 1933. Reptiles of the World. Revised Edition. The MacMillan Company. 329 pp. 89 plates.

Further reading

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