African Rock Python

African rock pythons live across Africa south of the Sahara Desert. They are found in both forested and savannah habitats. Large adults can consume juvenile crocodiles, small antelopes and domestic goats. Most pythons do not survive long enough to grow to that sort of size, and their diet consists of rodents and ground-living birds. The snake hunts in the dark, when most small mammals are on the move. It locates prey using heat-sensitive pits on its snout, which pick up the body heat of prey in the darkness.

The African rock python is the largest snake in Africa. One specimen from the Ivory Coast was nearly 10 т (32.75 ft) long. However, this was an unusual size, and today pythons over 6.5 m (21.25 ft) are very rare.

Females incubate their eggs to ensure they hatch. The snake wraps its body around several dozen orange-sized eggs. She then shivers her body to generate the heat needed to incubate the eggs.

Distribution: Sub-Saharan Africa.

Habitat: Forest and savannah.

Food: Crocodiles, pigs, goats, birds and antelopes.

Size: 3.5 - 7.5 m (11.5 - 24.5 ft).

Maturity: 3 - 5 years.

Breeding: 100 eggs incubated by mother.

Life span: 30 years.

Status: Common.