*Habitat and Life *

Burmese Pythons are native to the jungles and grassy marshes of Southeast Asia. Burmese pythons are among the largest snakes(eg.Anacondas etc.) on Earth,they are in the top six(6) ranking. They are capable of reaching 23 feet (7 meters) or more in length and weighing up to 200 pounds (90 kilograms) with a girth as big as a telephone pole. When young, they will spend much of their time in the trees. However, as they mature and increase their size and weight makes tree climbing unwieldy, they transition to mainly ground-dwelling reptiles.Burmese pythons are solitary animals and are generally only seen together during spring mating. Females lay clutches of up to 100 eggs, which they incubate for two to three months. To keep their eggs warm, they continually contract, or shiver, their muscles. Burmese pythons excellent swimmers, and can stay submerged for up to 30 minutes before they have to surfacing for a breath of air.

* Feeding and Killing Method(s) *

Burmese pythons are carnivores(meat eaters), surviving primarily on small mammals and birds. They have poor eyesight, and stalk prey using chemical receptors in their tongues and heat-sensors along their jaws. They kill by constriction(sqeezing),then by grasping the victim with their sharp teeth, they coil their bodies around the animal, and squeezing until it suffocates. They have stretchy ligaments in their jaws that allow them to swallow all their food whole.

* Habitat Depletion *

The continued demand for Burmese pythons in the pet trade, and the overexcessive hunting for their skins and flesh have landed these graceful giants on the threatened species list.

~ The End ~