Reptiles · Squamata · Pythonidae

Carpet Python

Morelia spilota

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

Morelia spilota is a large snake of the family Pythonidae that lives in Australia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. Six subspecies are recognised by ITIS, commonly known as carpet pythons or diamond pythons.

Weight

5 kg – 15 kg

Size

2 m – 4 m

Lifespan

25 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Irregular activity

Active at irregular times, by day or night depending on circumstances.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

RainforestTemperate forestDesertCarnivore Nocturnal Variable activity Solitary Reptile Rainforest Temperate forest Desert

3countries 7parks6same family

Fun facts

GeneralA common sight in Australian roof spaces, where it hunts rats.
It is a de facto house snake across much of rural Australia: it takes up residence in roofs and barns hunting rats and possums, and many owners would rather leave it be than have it removed.
The female incubates the clutch coiled around it for almost two months without eating, generating heat by muscular contraction to keep the eggs above ambient temperature.
Its subspecies vary so much that the New Guinea form and the south-western Australian one look like different animals, and several have been proposed as species in their own right.