Python and pythons are nonvenomous snakes found in many tropical forests throughout the world. They’re commonly thought of as constrictors, although they only rarely kill their prey by coiling around it and squeezing it to death, unlike boas and vipers. In addition to being famous for swallowing huge prey items like small deer or pigs whole, pythons also have other fascinating facts about them that most people don’t know about. Here are 8 interesting python facts you probably didn’t know!
10 things you didn’t know about pythons
1. Pythons are very powerful, but their power is nothing compared to a python-eating snake (the king cobra). 2. Although they look intimidating, pythons aren’t poisonous. 3. It takes between two and five weeks for a baby python to be born - that's pretty quick! 4. Although they only eat small animals like rabbits, rats, or birds when young, adult pythons are capable of taking down an antelope or other large animal - although that wouldn't be easy! 5. The biggest known python was found in Florida in 2014; it was 17 feet long and weighed 170 lbs! 6.
Pythons kill other snakes
The king cobra is one of three species of snake known to attack and kill pythons. The reticulated python, which can grow up to 20 feet in length, tends to be hunted by Indian pythons, which can grow up to 23 feet in length. When threatened by predators such as eagles or other large mammals, the anaconda surrounds its prey and hardens to its death. Python facts reveal that some snakes are immune to their venom; whereas others die very quickly from it.
Pythons are not venomous, but they can bite
Because pythons are constrictors, not venomous snakes, they do not need to be able to inject their victims with poison. Even so, many species of python have a mouthful of teeth that can rip through animal flesh. Some even have sharp enough teeth to penetrate human skin! To make sure you don’t get bit by a python, don’t try to handle one yourself. If you’re in a situation where you need to remove one from your property, hire an experienced snake handler, and don’t try to catch it yourself. Getting bitten by a poisonous snake is painful and often fatal; getting bitten by any kind of python can cause complications due to bacterial infections.
Pythons are quite aggressive, especially when hungry
Pythons are a species of constrictor snake and have been known to take down prey much larger than themselves. There are several videos of old anaconda landing, and then eating, large animals such as deer or deer. And while there is no evidence that they would be able to tackle full-grown human beings, they could certainly kill a child. They are also one of few non-venomous snakes in existence who can kill with their bite!
Pythons like to swim
Pythons live in coastal regions, near rivers and lakes. Their flexibility lets them swim easily, and they can stay underwater for as long as 15 minutes. When hunting for fish or ducks, they catch their prey and drown before eating it. Despite their name, pythons are not constrictors—they don’t squeeze their prey to death before swallowing it whole. (That's a trait of boas.) Instead, snakes that catch large prey generally use a different method: coil around it and hold on until it dies from suffocation or lack of oxygen. Then, if a python is big enough to do so comfortably (and not just a hatchling), it swallows its prey whole.
Pythons like to climb trees
If there’s one animal you don’t want to run into in an African jungle, it’s a python. They can grow up to 23 feet long and kill their prey by coiling around them and squeezing until they suffocate. But, contrary to popular belief, pythons are not poisonous; rather, they subdue their victims by using their strength and size as weapons. Unlike other snakes that grit their food with their teeth to eat quickly during the journey, pythons like to enjoy a full-length lunch before digesting more time in their stomachs.
A python won’t eat as much as it can
The Burmese python is one of the five largest snakes in the world. It can grow as long as 20 feet and weigh 200 pounds. Although it can swallow prey that is equal to half its size, a python won’t eat more than it can handle. When not hunting, they barely move and will go weeks without eating at all. They usually consume smaller creatures such as frogs or birds but sometimes they will even eat other pythons! What do you think: Do pythons kill humans?
The biggest snake ever found was an African rock python.
The African rock python is one of three subspecies of African rock python, and according to Guinness World Records, it’s also home to the largest snake ever found. The 18-foot-long snake was killed in September 2011 by Jamie Steuber, a trainee ranger at Kruger National Park in South Africa. As well as being bigger than any other known snake on record, it weighed more than 550 pounds. These giant snakes can reach lengths up to 25 feet long and weigh over 450 pounds. Despite its terrifying appearance, however, there have been no reported attacks on humans by these reptiles. There are only a few documented cases where humans have even been attacked at all!
