Reticulated python

Reticulated python
Temporal range: Pleistocene to recent
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Pythonidae
Genus: Malayopython
Species:
M. reticulatus
Binomial name
Malayopython reticulatus
(Schneider, 1801)[2]
Synonyms
List
  • Boa reticulata
    Schneider, 1801
  • Boa rhombeata
    Schneider, 1801
  • Boa phrygia
    Shaw, 1802
  • Coluber javanicus
    Shaw, 1802
  • Python schneideri
    Merrem, 1820
  • Python reticulatus
    — Gray, 1842
  • Python reticulatus
    — Boulenger, 1893
  • Morelia reticulatus
    — Welch, 1988
  • Python reticulatus
    — Kluge, 1993[2]
  • Broghammerus reticulatus
    — Hoser, 2004[3][4]
  • Malayopython reticulatus
    — Reynolds et al., 2014[5]

The reticulated python (Malayopython reticulatus) is a python species native to South and Southeast Asia. It is the world's longest snake, and the third heaviest after the green anaconda and Burmese python. It is listed as least concern on the IUCN Red List because of its wide distribution. In several countries in its range, it is hunted for its skin, for use in traditional medicine, and for sale as pets.[1] Due to this, reticulated pythons are one of the most economically important reptiles worldwide.[6]

It is an excellent swimmer, has been reported far out at sea, and has colonized many small islands within its range.

Like all pythons, it is a non-venomous constrictor. In very rare cases, adult humans have been killed (and in at least six reported cases, eaten) by reticulated pythons.[7][8][9][10]

  1. ^ a b Stuart, B.L.; Thy, N.; Chan-Ard, T.; Nguyen, T.Q.; Grismer, L.; Auliya, M.; Das, I. & Wogan, G. (2018). "Broghammerus reticulatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T183151A1730027. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T183151A1730027.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b McDiarmid, R. W. [in French]; Campbell, J. A.; Touré, T. A. (1999). Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, Volume 1. Washington: Herpetologists' League. ISBN 9781893777002.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Hos03 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Raymond T. Hoser. "The taxonomy of the snake genus Broghammerus Hoser, 2004 revisited, including the creation of a new subgenus for Broghammerus timoriensis (Peters, 1876)" (PDF). Australasian Journal of Herpetology. 16: 19–26. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-10-09. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  5. ^ Species Malayopython reticulatus at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
  6. ^ Auliya, M.; Mausfeld, P.; Schmitz, A.; Böhme, W. (2002-05-01). "Review of the reticulated python (Python reticulatus Schneider, 1801) with the description of new subspecies from Indonesia". Naturwissenschaften. 89 (5): 201–213. Bibcode:2002NW.....89..201A. doi:10.1007/s00114-002-0320-4. ISSN 1432-1904. PMID 12135085. S2CID 4368895.
  7. ^ Selk, Avi. "A woman went to check her corn — and was swallowed by a python". The Washington Post. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  8. ^ Sean Rossman (2017-03-30). "Pythons can kill a human in minutes and swallow them in an hour". USA Today.
  9. ^ Koulouris, Christopher. "Photos: Akbar Salubiro Indonesian man eaten alive by python found". Scallywag and Vagabond. Retrieved 2017-05-28.
  10. ^ Brown, Lee (2022-10-25). "Missing grandma's body found inside monster python". New York Post. Retrieved 2023-04-15.