| Sumatran short-tailed python | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Pythonidae |
| Genus: | Python |
| Species: | P. curtus |
| Binomial name | |
| Python curtus Schlegel, 1872 | |
| Synonyms | |
Aspidoboa curta Sauvage, 1884 | |
The Sumatran short-tailed python (Python curtus) is a species of the family Pythonidae, a nonvenomous snake native to Sumatra. [1]
Python curtus was the scientific name proposed by Hermann Schlegel in 1872 for a python with a short tail from Sumatra. [2] The type locality is Sumatra. [3]
The Sumatran short-tailed python has narrow subocular scales between the bottom of the eye and the top of the labial scales. The parietal scales do not join each other. P. curtus and P. breitensteini can be distinguished by the frontal and parietal scales on the tops of their heads. In both P. brongersmai and P. breitensteini, the parietal scales join. Adults grow to 1.5–1.8 m (4.9–5.9 ft) in length and are heavily built. The tail is extremely short relative to the overall length. The color pattern consists of a beige, tan, or grayish-brown ground color overlaid with blotches that are brick- to blood-red in color. [4]
The Sumatran short-tailed python occurs in Sumatra, Riau Archipelago, Lingga Islands, Bangka Islands, Mentawai Islands and Kalimantan. [1] It inhabits rainforests, marshes, swamps, and the vicinity of river banks and streams. [4]
They feed on a variety of mammals and birds. [4]
Oviparous, females seldom lay more than a dozen large eggs (however, much larger clutches have been reported). The female remains coiled around the eggs during the incubation period, and may shiver to produce heat. However, this action requires energy and the female will only do so if surrounding temperatures drop below 90 °F. The hatchlings emerge after 2.5 to 3.0 months and are about 30 cm (12 in) in length. [4]
The species is kept as an exotic pet. They are often regarded as unpredictable and aggressive, but captive-bred individuals tend to be more docile than wild-caught specimens.
The Sumatran short-tailed python has been extensively harvested for leather; an estimated 100,000 individuals are taken for this purpose each year. The commercial trade regards the various populations of P. curtus and P. brongersmai as a single species. Authors who elevate particular island populations to species status note that the skins are readily distinguished. [5]
The ball python, also called the royal python, is a python species native to West and Central Africa, where it lives in grasslands, shrublands and open forests. This nonvenomous constrictor is the smallest of the African pythons, growing to a maximum length of 182 cm (72 in). The name "ball python" refers to its tendency to curl into a ball when stressed or frightened.
Loxocemus bicolor, the sole member of the monotypic family Loxocemidae and commonly known as the Mexican python, Mexican burrowing python and Mexican burrowing snake, is a species of python-like snake found in Mexico and Central America. No subspecies are currently recognized. Analyses of DNA show that Loxocemus is most closely related to the true pythons and the sunbeam snakes.
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.
Children's python is a species of nonvenomous snake in the family Pythonidae. The species is named after John George Children. It is a nocturnal species occurring in the northern half of Australia and generally found on the ground, although it often climbs trees. Usually growing to about 1.0 m (3 ft) in length or more depending on the polymorphic variant, it is typically a reddish-brown colour, darker on the upper surface, and with many darker blotches, especially on younger specimens. The Stimson's python variant has much stronger and more variable colours; often being adorned with reddish-brown to chocolate blotches against lighter tan. It feeds mostly on small mammals and birds, and as with other pythons, it constricts its prey before swallowing it whole. It is a popular pet among reptile enthusiasts.
The Calabar python is a species of non-venomous snake in the family Boidae. The species is endemic to West and Central Africa. It is the only species in its genus.
The woma python, also known commonly as Ramsay's python, the sand python, and simply the woma, is a species of snake in the family Pythonidae, endemic to Australia. Once common throughout Western Australia, it has become critically endangered in some regions.
The Bismarck ringed python is a species of snake in the genus Bothrochilus found on the islands of the Bismarck Archipelago. No subspecies are recognized.
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.
Python is a genus of constricting snakes in the Pythonidae family native to the tropics and subtropics of the Eastern Hemisphere.
The Borneo python, also known commonly as the Borneo short-tailed python, is a species of non-venomous snake in the family Pythonidae. The species is endemic to the island of Borneo.
The rough-scaled python is a large-scaled python species endemic to Australia. No subspecies are currently recognized.
Python brongersmai is a species of nonvenomous snake in the family Pythonidae. The species is native to Southeast Asia.
Python anchietae is a python species endemic to southern Africa. According to Donald George Broadley (1990), this species is most closely related to the ball python of western Africa, and no subspecies are currently recognized. It is named after the Portuguese naturalist and explorer José Alberto de Oliveira Anchieta. Like all other pythons, it is not venomous.
The water python is a python species found in Australia and Papua New Guinea. No subspecies are currently recognized. Like all other pythons, it is not venomous.
Trimeresurus sumatranus is a species of venomous pitviper found in the tropical forests of Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. Arboreal by nature, its coloration is pale to neon-green, with some black vertical markings, and a red-tipped tail. As with other vipers, this species has prominent, “keeled” scales, which appear somewhat raised and give the snake a rough-textured appearance. Common names include Sumatran pitviper, Sumatran tree viper, and Sumatran pit viper.
Craspedocephalus brongersmai, also known commonly as Brongersma's pit viper, is a species of venomous snake in the subfamily Crotalinae of the family Viperidae. The species is native to islands off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. No subspecies are currently recognized.
Anomochilus weberi, commonly known as Weber's dwarf pipesnake or the Sumatran giant blind snake, is a species of snake in the dwarf pipesnake family Anomochilidae. It is endemic to the islands of Borneo and Sumatra, where it inhabits montane and lowland dipterocarp forest at altitudes of 300–1,000 m (980–3,280 ft). Described by the herpetologist Theodorus Willem van Lidth de Jeude in 1890, the species is a stout, cylindrical snake with a small head and short, conical tail. It is the smallest species in its genus, with a total length of 230 mm (9.1 in). It is mostly black in color, with pale stripes along its sides and pale blotches bordering the vertebral scales, as well as a variety of other pale spots and markings on the tail and head. It can be told apart from the other species in its genus by its small size, the presence of a pale stripe along its sides, and the presence of pale blotches along its back.
Bibron's blind snake is a species of snake in the family Typhlopidae. The species is native to southern Africa.
D'Albertis' python, also known commonly as D'Albert's water python or the northern white-lipped python, is a species of python, a non-venomous snake in the family Pythonidae. The species is endemic to New Guinea. There are no subspecies that are recognized as being valid.
