Children’s python is a non-venomous snake that is laterally compressed with numerous dark blotches which are smooth-edged and roughly circular. It has pits on its jaws and a dark streak on each side of the head cutting across the eye.
Children’s python’s lips are yellowish with brown patches. The scales at the top surface of the body are small and smooth, with an iridescent blue sheen that can be seen when exposed to direct sunlight.
The paler underpart of this snake has a consistent yellow color. The nostril is super lateral, pierced in a large semi-divided nasal scale. Their eyes are moderate with a vertical pupil, while the tail is short.
Top 5 Astonishing Facts About Children’s Python
Children’s python is a nocturnal snake with a pretty calm demeanor. You will be wrong to think its name suggests how well it gets along with kids. Children’s python is named after John George Children, the zoologist who discovered it in the 1800s.
Let’s dive into the top 5 eye-popping facts about Children’s python.
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Children’s Python Is a Non-venomous Snake
Children’s python is a non-venomous ambush predator. Instead of using venom, Children’s python relies on its powerful constricting muscles. Constriction involves overwhelming the circulatory system to block blood from the brain and trigger death.
Contrary to the famous myth, constriction does not mean crushing and breaking the prey’s bones. After constricting the prey, a Children’s python swallows its meal as a whole.
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Female Children’s Python Lay Up to 25 Eggs per Clutch
The female Children’s python is oviparous and lays up to 25 eggs per clutch. They brood their eggs through a seven-week incubation period. The female children’s python coils around its eggs to protect them from predators and keep the eggs warm.
Snake-let pythons are heavily blotched, but gradually become reddish-brown or brown as they mature.
During mating season, which is preferably early spring, the males fight against each other to attract their female counterparts. They use their spurs to scratch their opponents. Male Children’s pythons will often strike and bite each other until one submits.
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Children’s Python Is the Second-Smallest Python in the World
Children’s python is the second-smallest python globally, after the Anthill python. The fairly slim-built snake grows up to 1 meter long, making it one of the daintiest among snakes collection in Australia.
The Children’s python is pretty tiny compared to other constrictors. Its reddish-brown coloration resembles leaves, making it camouflage well with its environment. The spot clusters are small and evenly spaced from head to tail, creating a breath-taking effect when the snake moves.
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Children’s Python Has Labial Pits
Children’s python has heat-sensitive labial pits that are used for Locating Warm Blooded Prey. They hunt over the night, and instead of relying only on their eyes, they have heat-sensing lips that help them locate and catch their prey.
Like the infrared cameras that detect heat, they sense Children’s python’s lower jaw function in the same way. This intrinsic adaptation helps them grab their dinner in the dark at the same time, giving them an element of surprise.
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Children’s Python Are Carnivores
This nocturnal snake has a carnivorous diet of reptiles, birds, and small mammals. Their top choice prey is microbats which are pretty hard to catch.
They prefer to stay on the ground, hunting for their favorite food. To catch the microbats, they dangle from stalactites in caves and snatch them out of the mid-air as they fly past.
Conclusion
Children’s python is a placid snake found in Australia, especially in Queensland. They are terrestrial species that prefer humid forested areas. However, you will occasionally find them climbing trees.
A children’s python is a non-venomous snake that will first constrict its prey before foraging on it. The small species are nocturnal and will be most active at night.