Facts about Reticulated Python
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Native to South and Southeast Asia, reticulated pythons are capable swimmers that regularly cross open ocean channels between islands in their range.
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A reticulated python's scales form a distinctive diamond-shaped net pattern that gives the species its name, derived from the Latin word reticulatus meaning netted or latticed.
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Southeast Asian locals have historically hunted reticulated pythons for their skin, which can yield leather sheets measuring up to 20 feet in length for high-end fashion products.
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Muscular coils of a reticulated python can exert approximately 90 pounds of pressure per square inch when constricting prey, though the snake itself weighs only 15 to 20 pounds on average.
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Nineteen feet long reticulated pythons hold the record as the longest snakes ever measured in captivity, with a specimen named Medusa reaching 25 feet 2 inches at the Guinness World Records.
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Infrared heat-sensing pits line the reticulated python's lower jaw, allowing detection of warm-blooded prey in complete darkness with precision up to 0.003 degrees Celsius.
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Ambush predators, reticulated pythons remain motionless for weeks while waiting to strike, conserving energy between meals that may take months to digest.
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Females can lay 60 eggs at a time, with incubation periods lasting approximately 88 days in optimal conditions for reticulated pythons.
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Reticulated pythons in Southeast Asia consume prey as large as small deer and monkeys by unhinging their jaws to swallow animals nearly their own body width.
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The reticulated python can reach lengths exceeding 20 feet, making it one of the longest snake species alongside the anaconda.