Gioca STEMAnimals

Animals · Reptiles and amphibians

Reticulated python

Malayopython reticulatus

The longest snake in the world

The net-like pattern on the golden back of the reticulated python gives the species its common name.
The net-like pattern on the golden back of the reticulated python gives the species its common name.
  • Status: Safe
  • Rainforests and wetlands of Southeast Asia, often near water

Numbers

Weight
350 lbmaximum value; source does not give average adult weight
Length
20 ftaverage 20 ft; another passage lists range from 15 to 28 ft
Lifespan
30 yearsmaximum reported age, not average lifespan
Maximum length
28 ftupper end of reported range
Maximum weight
350 lbsecond only to the green anaconda
Eggs per clutch
70 eggsfrom 50 to 70

Ten fun facts

  1. is the longest snake in the world, averaging twenty feet long, with rare individuals growing beyond twenty-three feet.

  2. is not the heaviest snake, because the green anaconda is shorter but far thicker and heavier.

  3. has heat-sensing pits along its lips that feel warm body heat, allowing it to spot prey in complete darkness.

  4. has a tail that makes up thirteen or fourteen percent of the total length of its long body.

  5. can weigh up to three hundred fifty pounds, as much as two adults, while still keeping a slender shape.

  6. eats many different animals, including mice, birds, frogs, fish, other snakes, and even small crocodiles.

  7. follows water canals right into human villages where it easily hunts its most common prey, the rat.

  8. lays fifty to seventy eggs in a clutch and incubates them inside hollow trees or underground burrows.

  9. is a strong swimmer and tree climber, but spends most time on land near its den.

  10. can live up to thirty years, but huge individuals are rare today because of past hunting for skin.

The quiz answers

Five questions about this animal. Pick an answer and find out if it is the right one.

Question 1 of 5

Which is the longest snake in the world?

Question 2 of 5

What are the pits along the reticulated python's lips used for?

Question 3 of 5

How many eggs does a female lay in a single clutch?

Question 4 of 5

How long can a reticulated python live?

Question 5 of 5

Why have the largest reticulated pythons become rare?

Try it yourself

Experiment 1

Unroll a measuring tape on the floor and mark twenty feet with tape. This shows the average length of an adult python.

Experiment 2

Calculate fourteen percent of your height and measure that length on the wall. On the same scale, that represents the python's tail.

Experiment 3

Count seventy dried beans and put them in a small box. That is how many eggs a female python can lay at one time.

Data from Wikidata (Q216136) and Wikipedia (Reticulated python).