Dangerous Creatures: Python

(Africa, India, Southeast Asia, Australia)

   Mother pythons care for their eggs. But after they hatch, the little ones are on their own.
   A snake is almost all backbone and ribs.
   Whether a big boa or the little Mexican milk snake, call them both constrictors – snakes that take your breath away.
   Colourful, yes. But in the branches of a tree, prey may fail to see the green tree python until it’s too late.
   What manners! But chewing your food is not important at the boa’s dinner table.
   The longest snake? Probably a reticulated python. And the heaviest? Probably the anaconda.
   Pythons and boas “see” with heat-detecting pits in their head, and smell and taste with forked tongues.
   Video: Pythons don’t need to eat very often. A rat or possum can keep one fed for several days. And a really big meal will keep a python satisfied for weeks.
   Advice: A big python could hold you down by just lying on top of you! They can weigh up to several hundred pounds. So don’t invite a python to a pyjama party!

Next: Imagine a snake that weighs hundreds of pounds. It’s a good thing that all snakes don’t grow as big as pythons!