A family of 39 non-venomous snakes of Africa, Asia and Australia, including some of the largest snakes in the world. Pythons ambush prey, coil around it and squeeze until its heart stops, then swallow it whole.
Quick answers
What is it?Reptile
Carnivore?Yes
Dangerous?Can be
Pythons aren’t venomous, and only the reticulated python is known to sometimes eat people. Larger species need caution as pets.
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Night
Often active at night, finding warm-blooded prey with heat-sensing pits.
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?Sometimes
Many species are sold in the exotic pet trade.
Do people eat it?In places
Pythons are sold and eaten as meat, and poached for their skins.
At a glance
Found inAsia, Africa, Australia
HabitatRainforest, Forest, Grassland, Wetland
ColoursBrown, Gold, Black
SizeHuge
LegsNone
Covered inScales
Lives alone
Lives for20–30 years
Can swim
Lays eggs
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Sub-Saharan Africa, South and Southeast Asia, southern China, the Philippines and Australia. Burmese pythons are invasive in Florida’s Everglades.
- What it eats
- Prey such as mammals and birds, swallowed whole; digestion can take days or even weeks.
Did you know
Can go a year between meals, and shrinks its own organs while it waits.
Around half a million invasive Burmese pythons were estimated to live in Florida as of 2023.
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