Reptiles · Squamata · Pythonidae

Burmese Python

Python bivittatus

Not Evaluated

It has not yet been assessed against the IUCN criteria. See full glossary

It is one of the few snakes capable of facultative endothermy: the female generates her own heat through muscular contractions to incubate her eggs.

Weight

27 kg – 90 kg

Size

4.2 m – 5.4 m

Lifespan

15 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Unknown

RainforestFreshwaterCarnivore Nocturnal Solitary Reptile Rainforest Freshwater

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Fun facts

It has become one of the most studied invasive species in the world since establishing itself in the Florida Everglades.
It eats a wide range of land vertebrates, large mammals and birds included.
Females can reach 5.4 metres long, larger than males.
anatomíaIt can swallow prey several times wider than its own head, thanks to a lower jaw that parts into two halves joined by elastic ligaments.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (reptile)
Habitat & environment: Moist forest, grassland and swampy country of South and South East Asia; an established invasive species in the Florida Everglades
Birth weight: ~113 grams; 45-60 cm long
Size at birth: 45 - 60 cm long at hatching
Sexual maturity: 18 months to 5 years (most commonly 3-5 years)
Gestation / incubation: 60-80 days, the female generating metabolic heat by muscular contraction to incubate the eggs
Litter / clutch size: 29 to 107 eggs per clutch (average 30-50)
Lifespan in captivity: Documented record of up to 28 years and 3 months in captivity

Sources consulted: PetMD; USGS Species Profile; SeaWorld/Busch Gardens; Furry Critter Network; WorldAtlas; IUCN Global Invasive Species Database; New England Reptile Store; The Animal Facts; PMC (juvenile dispersal survival study)