Morelia spilota cheynei
Description
The Jungle Carpet Python (Morelia spilota cheynei) is a sub- species of carpet python. These beautifully coloured pythons grow to an average size of 1.5 - 2.1m, although some females have been known to grow to a length of 2.6m (females are typically larger than males). Jungle Pythons are spread over a very small range in North Queensland from the Atherton Tablelands to the South-East corner of Cape York Peninsula.
These snakes are semi-arboreal (live in the tree canopy) and typically inhabit tropical to sub-tropical forests that border waterways like creeks and rivers.
Adaptations
- Their striking colour and pattern breaks up their body shape and is excellent camouflage
- Heat-sensitive pits on their bottom jaw let them sense and track the body warmth of other animals
- Non-venomous
- Ambushes prey and then wraps around it to constrict the animal until it suffocates
Feeding relationships
- What I eat: small mammals, birds, frogs and lizards
- What eats me: birds of prey such as owls and eagles, large lizards like monitors
Interesting facts
Habitat destruction has led to a dramatic decrease in the numbers of Jungle Carpet Pythons in the wild.