The largest snake in Africa: over 5 m long.
From Central African Rock Python
It is one of the largest snakes in Africa and will occasionally take large prey, small antelopes included, after which it may go months without eating again.
From Central African Rock Python
The female incubates: she coils around the clutch for almost three months without eating and barely moving, then stays with the hatchlings for a further two weeks, parental care exceptional among snakes.
From Central African Rock Python
It can reach almost 10 metres long, a record widely cited in the specialist literature.
From Reticulated Python
The female incubates her eggs by generating heat through muscular contractions.
From Reticulated Python
It can lay between 15 and 80 eggs in a clutch.
From Reticulated Python
It can fast for months after a large meal, and senses heat through pits along its lips.
From Indian Rock Python
The female generates heat with rhythmic muscular spasms while incubating, raising the temperature of the eggs as much as seven degrees above ambient: one of the very few cases of active heat production in a reptile.
From Indian Rock Python

Ecosystems