Blood Python

{Common names: short python, blood python, short-tailed python, more. | Python curtus is a non-venomous python species found in Southeast Asia. | Three subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here. | Common names: Borneo short-tailed python, Borneo python. |Python curtus breitensteini is a non-venomous python subspecies found mostly on the island of Borneo. | These are nocturnal snakes, spending most of the day hiding under leaves, logs, and shallow water in the marshy forests they inhabit. | They do not actively hunt; rather, they lie in wait for rodents and other small mammals to wander by. |Common names: Malayan short python, red blood python. |Python curtus brongersmai is non-venomous python subspecies found on the Malay Peninsula. |Adults generally grow to 137-182 cm (4-6 feet) in length, with females usually a little longer than males, and usually weigh 5-9 kg (12-20 lb); much more than other snakes of similar length. | Once widely considered to be generally unpredictable and aggressive, these snakes are gradually becoming more common among herpetoculturists. | Formerly, many of the specimens in captivity were wild-caught adults from Malaysia. | These are known to be more aggressive than those from Indonesia (Sumatra), from which most of the wild-caught, wild-bred, and captive-bred stock are now descended. | Captive-raised juveniles generally become mild-tempered, somewhat-predictable adults. | This, combined with several new brightly-colored captive bloodlines, is helping to boost the popularity of these much-maligned snakes among reptile hobbyists. |The color pattern consists of rich, bright red to orange to a duller rusty red ground color, although populations with yellow and brown are known. | This is overlaid with yellow and tan blotches and stripes that run the length of the body, as well as tan and black spots that extend up the flanks. | The belly is white, often with small black markings. | The head is usually a shade of grey; individual snakes can change how light and dark the head is. | A white postocular stripe runs down and back from the posterior edge of the eye. | Adults grow to 15o-180 cm (5-6 feet) in length and are heavily built. | The tail is extremely short relative to the overall length. | The color pattern consists of a beige, tan or grayish-brown ground color overlaid with blotches that are brick to blood-red in color. | Short python, blood python, short-tailed python, black blood python, Sumatran short-tailed python, Sumatran blood python. | Found in Southeast Asia in southern Thailand, Malaysia (Peninsular and Sarawak) (including Pinang) and Indonesia (Sumatra, Riau Archipelago, Lingga Islands, Bangka Islands, Mentawai Islands and Kalimantan). | According to Stimson (1969), the type locality is Sumatra. | Occurs in rainforests where it is found in marshes, swamps and along river banks and streams. | Captive specimens feed almost exclusively on rats, although it is likely that wild individuals feed on a variety of mammals, as well as birds. | Oviparous, females hardly ever lay more than a dozen rather large eggs. | The female remains coiled around the eggs during the incubation period. | The hatchlings emerge after 2 to 3 months and are about 30 cm (12 inches) in length. |They are often regarded as unpredictable and aggressive, but captive bred individuals tend to be more docile than wild-caught specimens. | The subspecies Python curtus brongersmai was elevated to a full species by Pauwels et al (2000), while Python curtus breitensteini was given species status by Keogh, Barker and Shine (2001). |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||}