| Water python | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Pythonidae |
| Genus: | Liasis |
| Species: | L. fuscus |
| Binomial name | |
| Liasis fuscus Peters, 1873 | |
| Synonyms | |
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The water python (Liasis fuscus) is a python species found in Australia and Papua New Guinea. No subspecies are currently recognized. [2] Like all other pythons, it is not venomous.
German naturalist Wilhelm Peters described the water python in 1873. It is also known as the brown water python. [3]
Adults average about 6–8 feet (2+ meters) in length, but may reach 10 feet (3.0 meters). [4] Robustly built, it has a long head that is slightly distinct from the neck. The anterior supralabials have thermosensitive pits. [3]
Scalation includes a pair of undivided parietal scales and a single loreal scale on either side of the head. On the body, the dorsal scales number 45-55 at midbody, the ventral scales 270-300, the anal scale is single, with 60-90 paired subcaudal scales. [3]
The color pattern consists of a uniform, iridescent dark blackish brown dorsal color. The belly is a dull to bright yellow that includes the first few rows of dorsal scales. The throat is cream colored, while the upper labials are light gray-brown with dark brown or black spots. [3]
They are found in Australia in the Kimberley district of northern Western Australia from around Broome east through Northern Territory at least as far south as Mataranka to the coast of central Queensland to near Mackay. Also found in the Sir Charles Hardy Islands, on Cornwallis Island in the Torres Strait, and in Papua New Guinea, Western District, in the lower Fly River region at least as far inland as Lake Daviumbo. It can also be found in the southern part of Papuan province of Indonesia. [5] The type locality given is "Port Bowen" (Port Clinton, Queensland, Australia). [1]
The highest population density is reached on the Adelaide River floodplains in the Northern Territory. [3]
Despite its common name, many individuals are found far from water for most of the year. They are usually nocturnal, seeking shelter during the day in hollow logs, in riverbank dens, and in vegetation. When surprised, most attempt to flee into any available water. [3]
An opportunistic feeder, its diet consists of a variety of vertebrates. [4] However, on the Adelaide River floodplains, this species preys mainly on dusky rats ( Rattus colletti ). [3]
Mating takes place in July–August, which is the middle of the dry season. This is followed by a gestation period of about a month, after which females lay an average of 12 eggs. The hatchlings emerge after 57–61 days of incubation and are each about 30 cm in length. [3]
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.
Liasis is a genus of pythons found in Indonesia, New Guinea and Australia. Currently, three extant species are recognized and one giant fossil species L. dubudingala, estimated to have been around 10 m (33 ft) in length.
Xenopeltis, the sunbeam snakes, are the sole genus of the monotypic family Xenopeltidae, the species of which are found in Southeast Asia. Sunbeam snakes are known for their highly iridescent scales. Three species are recognized, each one with no subspecies. Studies of DNA suggest that the xenopeltids are most closely related to the Mexican burrowing python and to the true pythons (Pythonidae).
The green tree 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.
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.
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 colors; 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 spotted python, eastern small-blotched python, or eastern Children's python is a python species found in northern Australia and New Guinea. It is a popular pet among Australian reptile enthusiasts and other reptile enthusiasts abroad due to its small size and even temperament. No subspecies were originally recognized. However, two subspecies were recognized as of 2020; A. m. maculosa and A. m. peninsularis.
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 black-headed python is a species of snake in the Pythonidae. The species is endemic to Australia. No subspecies are currently 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 pythonand the black python.
Apodora papuana is a species of python, commonly known as the Papuan python, Irian python or Papuan olive python. It is found in New Guinea. It is the only species in the genus Apodora. No subspecies are currently recognized.
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.
The rough-scaled python is a large-scaled python species endemic to Australia. No subspecies are currently recognized.
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.
The olive python is a species of snake in the family Pythonidae. The species is endemic to Australia. Two subspecies are recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here.
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.
Liasis mackloti, commonly known as Macklot's python or the freckled python, is a species of python, a non-venomous snake in the family Pythonidae. The species is endemic to Indonesia, East Timor, Papua New Guinea, and coastal northern Australia. Three subspecies are recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here.
Liasis olivaceus barroni is a python found in the Pilbara region of northwest Australia. They are recognised as a subspecies of Liasis olivaceus, separating the population from the olive python found to the east. It is a large snake, most often around 2.5 metres in length, although individuals may attain a larger size. The python is an ambush predator, using a sit and wait method at a path or beneath the water to capture a variety of animals that inhabit the arid surroundings. The range of prey includes amphibians, birds and other reptiles, and mammals as large as a rock wallaby.
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.
