SCIENTIFIC NAME: Python molurus

The Burmese python is the largest subspecies of the Indian Python. It's colored with red blotches outlined in cream or gold. The basic body color can be pale tan, yellowish-brown or gray. The female is heavier than the male. Pythons kill their prey by constricting them. Their teeth are not adapted for chewing, so they must swallow their prey whole. After mating, the female usually stops eating. She may go for six months without eating, but she needs a permanent source of water. After laying her eggs, the female python will incubate them by wrapping her body around them. When the eggs hatch the mother will abandon the babies. Pythons can grow to enormous lengths. A reticulated python holds the record for the longest snake ever recorded, 32 feet, 9 inches.