View source for Reticulated python

{{Short description|Species of snake}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Reticulated python
| fossil_range = [[Pleistocene]] to recent
| image = Python reticulatus сетчатый питон-2.jpg
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status = LC
| status_ref = <ref name=iucn>{{cite iucn |title=''Broghammerus reticulatus'' |name-list-style=amp |author=Stuart, B.L. |author-link=species:Bryan Lynn Stuart |author2=Thy, N. |author2-link=species:Thy Neang |author3=Chan-Ard, T. |author3-link=species:Tanya Chan-ard |author4=Nguyen, T.Q. |author4-link=species:Truong Quang Nguyen |author5=Grismer, L. |author5-link=species:Larry Lee Grismer |author6=Auliya, M. |author6-link=species:Mark Auliya |author7=Das, I. |author7-link=species:Indraneil Das |author8=Wogan, G. |author8-link=species:Guinevere O.U. Wogan |date=2018 |page=e.T183151A1730027 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T183151A1730027.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref>
| genus = Malayopython
| species = reticulatus
| authority = ([[Johann Gottlob Schneider|Schneider]], 1801)<ref name="McD99"/>
| range_map =
| synonyms = {{collapsible list|bullets = true|title=<small>List</small>
| ''Boa reticulata'' <br /><small>Schneider, 1801</small>
| ''Boa rhombeata'' <br /><small>Schneider, 1801</small>
| ''Boa phrygia'' <br /><small>[[George Shaw (biologist)|Shaw]], 1802</small>
| ''Coluber javanicus'' <br /><small>Shaw, 1802</small>
| ''Python schneideri'' <br /><small>[[Blasius Merrem|Merrem]], 1820</small>
| ''Python reticulatus'' <br /><small>— [[John Edward Gray|Gray]], 1842</small>
| ''Python reticulatus'' <br /><small>— [[George Albert Boulenger|Boulenger]], 1893</small>
| ''Morelia reticulatus'' <br /><small>— [[species:Kenneth R.G. Welch|Welch]], 1988</small>
| ''Python reticulatus'' <br /><small>— [[Arnold G. Kluge|Kluge]], 1993</small><ref name="McD99">{{cite book |last1=McDiarmid, R. W. |last2=Campbell, J. A. |last3=Touré, T. A. |year=1999 |title=Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, Volume 1 |location=Washington |publisher=Herpetologists' League |isbn=9781893777002|author1-link=:fr:Roy Wallace McDiarmid |author2-link=Jonathan A. Campbell |author3-link=species:T'Shaka A. Touré}}</ref>
| ''Broghammerus reticulatus'' <br /><small>— Hoser, 2004<ref name=Hos03/><ref name=Hoser161926>{{cite journal|url=http://www.smuggled.com/issue-16-19-26.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.smuggled.com/issue-16-19-26.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live|journal=Australasian Journal of Herpetology |volume=16|pages=19–26|title=The taxonomy of the snake genus Broghammerus Hoser, 2004 revisited, including the creation of a new subgenus for Broghammerus timoriensis (Peters, 1876)|author=Raymond T. Hoser|access-date=26 March 2022}}</ref></small>
| ''Malayopython reticulatus'' <br /><small>— [[species:Robert Graham Reynolds|Reynolds]] et al., 2014</small><ref>{{EMBL species|genus=Malayopython|species=reticulatus}} www.reptile-database.org.</ref>
}}
}}

The '''reticulated python''' ('''''Malayopython reticulatus''''') is a [[Pythonidae|python]] species native to [[South Asia|South]] and [[Southeast Asia]]. It is the world's [[List of largest snakes|longest snake]], and the [[list of largest snakes|third heaviest]] after the [[green anaconda]] and [[Burmese python]]. It is listed as [[least concern]] on the [[IUCN Red List]] because of its wide distribution. In several countries in its range, it is hunted for its skin, for use in [[traditional medicine]], and for sale as [[pets]].<ref name=iucn /> Due to this, reticulated pythons are one of the most economically important reptiles worldwide.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Auliya |first1=M. |last2=Mausfeld |first2=P. |last3=Schmitz |first3=A. |last4=Böhme |first4=W. |date=2002-05-01 |title=Review of the reticulated python (Python reticulatus Schneider, 1801) with the description of new subspecies from Indonesia |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-002-0320-4 |journal=Naturwissenschaften |volume=89 |issue=5 |pages=201–213 |doi=10.1007/s00114-002-0320-4 |pmid=12135085 |bibcode=2002NW.....89..201A |s2cid=4368895 |issn=1432-1904}}</ref>

It is an excellent swimmer, has been reported far out at sea, and has colonized many small islands within its range.

Like all pythons, it is a non-venomous [[Constriction|constrictor]]. In very rare cases, adult humans have been killed (and in at least six reported cases, [[man-eater|eaten]]) by reticulated pythons.<ref name=wap18>{{cite news |last1=Selk |first1=Avi |title=A woman went to check her corn — and was swallowed by a python |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2018/06/16/a-woman-went-to-check-her-corn-and-was-swallowed-by-a-python/ |access-date=17 June 2018 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref><ref name=usatoday2017>{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/03/30/pythons-can-kill-human-minutes-and-swallow-them-hour/99824246/|title= Pythons can kill a human in minutes and swallow them in an hour |author=Sean Rossman|date=2017-03-30|newspaper=[[USA Today]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://scallywagandvagabond.com/2017/03/akbar-salubiro-indonesian-man-eaten-alive-by-python-found/|title=Photos: Akbar Salubiro Indonesian man eaten alive by python found. |website=Scallywag and Vagabond |last=Koulouris|first=Christopher|access-date=2017-05-28}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Lee |date=2022-10-25 |title=Missing grandma's body found inside monster python |url=https://nypost.com/2022/10/25/missing-grandmas-body-found-inside-monster-python/ |access-date=2023-04-15 |website=New York Post}}</ref>

==Taxonomy==
The reticulated python was first described in 1801 by German naturalist [[Johann Gottlob Theaenus Schneider]], who described two [[zoological specimen]]s held by the Göttingen Museum in 1801 that differed slightly in colour and pattern as separate species—''Boa reticulata'' and ''Boa rhombeata''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Schneider |first1=J. G. |author-link=Johann Gottlob Theaenus Schneider|year=1801 |title=Historiae Amphibiorum naturalis et literariae Fasciculus Secundus continens Crocodilos, Scincos, Chamaesauras, Boas, Pseudoboas, Elapes, Angues, Amphisbaenas et Caecilias |location=Jenae |publisher=Wesselhoeft |chapter=''Reticulata'' |chapter-url=https://gdz.sub.uni-goettingen.de/id/PPN582122139?tify={%22pages%22:[274],%22view%22:%22info%22} |pages=264–266 | language=la}}</ref> The [[Specific name (zoology)|specific name]], ''reticulatus'', is [[Latin]] meaning "net-like", or [[Wiktionary:reticulated|reticulated]], and is a reference to the complex color pattern.<ref name="Got">{{cite book |last1=Gotch   |first1=A. F. |year=1986 |title=Reptiles – Their Latin Names Explained |location=Poole, UK |publisher=Blandford Press |isbn=0-7137-1704-1}}</ref> The [[Generic name (biology)|generic name]] ''Python'' was proposed by French naturalist [[François Marie Daudin]] in 1803.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Daudin |first1=F. M. |author-link=François Marie Daudin|year=1803 |title=Histoire naturelle, générale et particulière, des reptiles. Tome 8 |location=Paris |publisher=De l'Imprimerie de F. Dufart  |page=384 |chapter=''Python'' |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/histoirenaturel181802daud/page/384}} (in French).</ref> American zoologist [[Arnold G. Kluge]] performed a cladistics analysis on morphological characters and recovered the reticulated python lineage as sister to the genus ''Python'', hence not requiring a new generic name in 1993.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Kluge, A. G. |author-link=Arnold G. Kluge|year=1993 |title=Aspidites and the phylogeny of pythonine snakes |journal=Records of the Australian Museum |issue=Supplement 19 |pages=1–77}}</ref>

In a 2004 genetics study using [[cytochrome b]] DNA, [[species:Robin Lawson|Robin Lawson]] and colleagues discovered the reticulated python as sister to Australo-Papuan pythons, rather than ''[[Indian python|Python molurus]]'' and relatives.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Lawson |first1=R. |author-link=species:Robin Lawson |last2=Slowinski |first2=J. B. |author-link2=Joseph Bruno Slowinski|last3=Burbrink |first3=F. T. |author3-link=species:Frank T. Burbrink |year=2004 |title=A molecular approach to discerning the phylogenetic placement of the enigmatic snake ''Xenophidion schaeferi'' among the Alethinophidia |journal=Journal of Zoology |volume=263 |issue= 3|pages=285–294 |doi= 10.1017/S0952836904005278}}</ref> [[Raymond Hoser]] erected the genus ''Broghammerus'' for the reticulated python in 2004, naming it after German snake expert Stefan Broghammer, on the basis of dorsal patterns distinct from those of the genus ''Python'', and a dark mid-dorsal line from the rear to the front of the head, and red or orange (rather than brown) iris colour.<ref name="Hos04">{{cite journal |last1=Hoser |first1=R. |year=2004 |title=A Reclassification of the Pythoninae Including the Descriptions of Two New Genera, Two New Species, and Nine New Subspecies. Part II |url=http://www.smuggled.com/pytrev2.htm |journal=Crocodilian - Journal of the Victorian Association of Amateur Herpetologists |volume=4 |issue=4 |pages=21–40}}</ref> <!-- cites previous 2 sentences -->In 2008, Lesley H. Rawlings and colleagues reanalysed Kluge's morphological data and combined it with genetic material, finding the reticulated clade to be an offshoot of the Australo-Papuan lineage as well. They adopted and redefined the genus name ''Broghammerus''.<ref name="Rawl01">{{cite journal |doi=10.1111/j.1095-8312.2007.00904.x |last1=Rawlings |first1=L. H. |last2=Rabosky |first2=D. L. |author2-link=species:Daniel L. Rabosky |last3=Donnellan |first3=S.C. |author-link3=Steve Donnellan (scientist)|last4=Hutchinson |first4=M. N. |author4-link=species:Mark Norman Hutchinson |title=Python phylogenetics: inference from morphology and mitochondrial DNA |year=2008 |journal=Biological Journal of the Linnean Society |volume=93 |issue=3 |pages=603–619 | url=http://www.reticulatedpython.info/me/papers/Rawlings%20et%20al%202008.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.reticulatedpython.info/me/papers/Rawlings%20et%20al%202008.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live|doi-access=free}}</ref>

Most taxonomists choose to ignore ''Broghammerus'' and other names by Hoser as its description lacked scientific rigour and was not published in a reputable journal.<ref name=Kaiser>{{cite journal |title=Best Practices: In the 21st Century, Taxonomic Decisions in Herpetology are Acceptable Only When Supported by a Body of Evidence and Published via Peer-Review |url=http://www.markoshea.info/downloads/Kaiser-et-al-2013.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.markoshea.info/downloads/Kaiser-et-al-2013.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |last1=Kaiser |first1=H. |author-link=species:Hinrich Kaiser |last2=Crother   |first2=B. I. |author2-link=species:Brian I. Crother |last3=Kelly |first3=C. M. R. |author3-link=species:Christopher M.R. Kelly |last4=Luiselli |first4=L. |author4-link=species:Luca Luiselli |author5-link=Mark O'Shea (herpetologist) |last5=O'Shea, M. |last6=Ota |first6=H. |author6-link=species:Hidetoshi Ota |last7=Passos |first7=P. |author7-link=species:Paulo Passos |last8=Schleip |first8=W. |author8-link=species:Wulf D. Schleip |author9-link=Wolfgang Wüster |last9=Wüster, W. |year=2013 |journal=Herpetological Review |volume=44 |issue=1 |pages=8–23}}</ref> [[species:Robert Graham Reynolds|R. Graham Reynolds]] and colleagues accordingly proposed the name ''Malayopython'' for this species and its sister species, the [[Timor python]].<ref name="Reyn01">{{cite journal |doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2013.11.011 |vauthors=[[species:Robert Graham Reynolds|Reynolds RG]], [[species:Matthew L. Niemiller|Niemiller ML]], [[species:Liam J. Revell|Revell LJ]] |title=Toward a tree-of-life for the boas and pythons: multilocus species-level phylogeny with unprecedented taxon sampling |year=2014 |journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |volume=71 |pages=201–213 |pmid=24315866|bibcode=2014MolPE..71..201G}}</ref> ''Malayopython'' has been recognized by subsequent authors<ref name="Barker01">{{cite journal|doi=10.1111/zoj.12267|vauthors=[[David G. Barker|Barker DG]], [[Tracy M. Barker|Barker TM]], [[species:Mark A. Davis|Davis MA]], [[species:Gordon W. Schuett|Schuett GW]] |title=A review of the systematics and taxonomy of Pythonidae: an ancient serpent lineage|year=2015|journal=Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society|volume=175|pages=1–19|url=https://academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/article-pdf/175/1/1/16876780/zoj12267.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/article-pdf/175/1/1/16876780/zoj12267.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name="Booth01">{{cite journal|doi=10.1111/bij.12744|vauthors=Booth W, Schuett GW |title=The emerging phylogenetic pattern of parthenogenesis in snakes|year=2016|journal=Biological Journal of the Linnean Society|volume=118|issue=2|pages=172–186|doi-access=free}}</ref> and the [[Reptile Database]]. Hoser has argued that ''Broghammerus'' was validly published and ''Malayopython'' name is invalid as it is a [[junior synonym]].<ref>{{cite journal |author=Raymond T. Hoser |title=The Wüster gang and their proposed "Taxon Filter": How they are knowingly publishing false information, recklessly engaging in taxonomic vandalism and directly attacking the rules and stability of zoological nomenclature. |url=http://www.smuggled.com/issue-25-pages-14-38.pdf |url-status=live |journal=Australasian Journal of Herpetology |volume=25 |pages=14–38 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.smuggled.com/issue-25-pages-14-38.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |access-date=26 March 2022}}</ref> In 2021, the [[International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature]] found no basis for regarding the name ''Broghammerus'' to be invalid.<ref>ICZN. 2021. Opinion 2468 (Case 3601) - Spracklandus Hoser, 2009 (Reptilia, Serpentes, Elapidae) and Australasian Journal of Herpetology issues 1-24: confirmation of availability declined; Appendix A (Code of Ethics): not adopted as a formal criterion for ruling on cases. The Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 78:42–45.</ref> Nevertheless, the name ''Malayopython'' remains in use by reliable sources.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Barends |first1=J. M. |last2=Naik |first2=H. |date=2023 |title=Body size predicts prey preference but not diet breadth in pythons |journal=Journal of Zoology |volume=321 |issue=1 |pages=50–58 |doi=10.1111/jzo.13092 |issn=0952-8369|doi-access=free}}</ref>

===Subspecies===
Three [[subspecies]] have been proposed:
* ''M. r. reticulatus'' <small>([[Johann Gottlob Theaenus Schneider|Schneider]], 1801)</small> – Asian reticulated python
* ''M. r. jampeanus'' <small>[[species:Mark Auliya|Auliya]] et al., 2002</small> – Kayaudi reticulated python or Tanahjampean reticulated python, about half the length,<ref name="Mat99">{{cite book |last1=Mattison |first1=C. |author-link=species:Chris Mattison |year=1999 |title=Snake |location=London |publisher=Dorling Kindersley Publishing |isbn=978-0-7894-4660-2}}</ref> or according to Auliya et al. (2002), not reaching much more than {{Convert|2|m|ftin|abbr=on}} in length.<ref name="Aul02"/> Found on Tanahjampea in the [[Selayar Islands|Selayar Archipelago]] south of [[Sulawesi]]. Closely related to ''M. r. reticulatus'' of the [[Lesser Sundas]].<ref name="Aul02"/>
* ''M. r. saputrai'' <small>Auliya et al., 2002</small> – Selayer reticulated python, occurs on [[Selayar Island]] in the Selayar Archipelago and also in adjacent Sulawesi. This subspecies represents a [[Sister group|sister lineage]] to all other populations of reticulated pythons tested.<ref name="Aul02"/> According to Auliya et al. (2002) it does not exceed {{Convert|4|m|ftin|abbr=on}} in length.<ref name="Aul02"/>

The latter two are [[Insular dwarfism|dwarf]] subspecies. Apparently, the population of the [[Sangihe Islands]] north of Sulawesi represents another such subspecies, which is [[Basal (phylogenetics)|basal]] to the ''P. r. reticulatus'' plus ''P. r. jampeanus'' [[clade]], but it is not yet formally described.<ref name="Aul02"/>

The proposed subspecies ''M. r. "dalegibbonsi"'', ''M. r. "euanedwardsi"'', ''M. r. "haydnmacphiei"'', ''M. r. "neilsonnemani"'', ''M. r. "patrickcouperi"'', and ''M. r. "stuartbigmorei"''<ref name="Hos03">{{cite journal |last=Hoser |first=R. |year=2003 |title=A Reclassification of the Pythoninae Including the Descriptions of Two New Genera, Two New Species, and Nine New Subspecies. Part I |journal=Crocodilian - Journal of the Victorian Association of Amateur Herpetologists|url=http://www.smuggled.com/pytrev2.htm |volume=4 |issue=3 |pages=31–37}}</ref><ref name="Hos04"/> have not found general acceptance.

==Characteristics==
[[File:Retic3.jpg|thumb|The "reticulated" net-like patterning that gives the reticulated python its name]]
[[File:Retic2.jpg|thumb|Head of a reticulated python]]
[[File:Python gab fbi.png|alt=Skull diagram|thumb|Skull of a reticulated python]]
The reticulated python has smooth [[dorsal scales]] that are arranged in 69–79 rows at midbody. Deep pits occur on four [[anterior]] [[Supralabial scale|upper labials]], on two or three anterior [[Sublabial scale|lower labials]], and on five or six [[posterior (anatomy)|posterior]] lower labials.<ref>{{cite book |author=Boulenger, G.A. |author-link=George Albert Boulenger |year=1893 |title=Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History) |volume=I, Containing the Families ... Boidæ ...|location=London |publisher=Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History) |pages=85–86 |chapter=''Python reticulatus'' |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924024781969/page/n101/mode/2up}}</ref>

The reticulated python is the largest snake native to Asia. More than a thousand wild reticulated pythons in southern [[Sumatra]] were studied, and estimated to have a length range of {{convert|1.5|to|6.5|m|ftin|abbr=on}}, and a weight range of {{convert|1|to|75|kg|lboz|abbr=on}}.<ref name=Shine>{{cite journal|vauthors=[[Richard Shine|Shine R]], [[species:Peter S. Harlowe|Harlow PS]], [[species:J. Scott Keogh|Keogh JS]], [[species:Boeadi|Boeadi]] |year=1998|title=The influence of sex and body size on food habits of a giant tropical snake, ''Python reticulatus'' |journal=Functional Ecology |volume=12 |issue=2 |pages=248–258| doi=10.1046/j.1365-2435.1998.00179.x |s2cid=46957156|doi-access= |bibcode=1998FuEco..12..248S}}</ref> Reticulated pythons with lengths more than {{convert|6|m|ftin|abbr=on}} are rare, though according to the ''[[Guinness Book of World Records]]'', it is the only extant snake to regularly exceed that length.<ref name = "Wood">{{cite book | author=Wood, G. |title=The Guinness Book of Animal Facts and Feats |year=1983 |publisher=Guinness Superlatives |isbn=978-0-85112-235-9}}</ref> One of the largest scientifically measured specimens, from [[Balikpapan]], [[East Kalimantan]], [[Indonesia]], was measured under anesthesia at {{convert|6.95|m|ftin|abbr=on}} and weighed {{convert|59|kg|lboz|abbr=on}} after not having eaten for nearly 3 months.<ref name="Fre05"/>

The specimen once widely accepted as the largest-ever "accurately" measured snake, that being Colossus, a specimen kept at the Highland Park Zoo (now the [[Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium]]) in [[Pittsburgh]], [[Pennsylvania]], during the 1950s and early 1960s, with a peak reported length of {{convert|8.7|m|ftin}} from a measurement in November 1956, was later shown to have been substantially shorter than previously reported. When Colossus died on 14 April 1963, its body was deposited in the [[Carnegie Museum of Natural History]]. At that time, its skeleton was measured and found to be {{convert|20|ft|10|in|m|abbr=on}} in total length, and the length of its fresh hide was measured as {{convert|23|ft|11|in|m|abbr=on}}.<ref name=Bar12/> The hide tends to stretch from the skinning process, thus may be longer than the snake from which it came – e.g., by roughly 20–40% or more.<ref name=Mur97/> The previous reports had been constructed by combining partial measurements with estimations to compensate for "kinks", since completely straightening an extremely large live python is virtually impossible. Because of these issues, a 2012 journal article concluded, "Colossus was neither the longest snake nor the heaviest snake ever maintained in captivity." Too large to be preserved with [[formaldehyde]] and then stored in [[ethanol|alcohol]], the specimen was instead prepared as a disarticulated skeleton. The hide was sent to a laboratory to be [[Tanning (leather)|tanned]], but it was either lost or destroyed, and now only the skull and selected vertebrae and ribs remain in the museum's collection.<ref name=Bar12>{{cite journal |last1=Barker |first1=David G. |last2=Barten |first2=Stephen L. |last3=Ehrsam |first3=Jonas P. |author3-link=species:Jonas P. Ehrsam |last4=Daddono |first4=Louis |year=2012 |title=The Corrected Lengths of Two Well-known Giant Pythons and the Establishment of a new Maximum Length Record for Burmese Pythons, ''Python bivittatus '' |journal= Bull. Chicago Herp. Soc. |volume=47 |issue=1 |pages=1–6 |url=http://www.vpi.com/sites/default/files/Barker-et-al_CorrectPythonLengths_2.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.vpi.com/sites/default/files/Barker-et-al_CorrectPythonLengths_2.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live}}</ref> Considerable confusion exists in the literature over whether Colossus was male or female (females tend to be larger).<ref name=Bar12/><ref name=Mur97/>
Numerous reports have been made of larger snakes, but since none of these was measured by a scientist nor any of the specimens deposited at a museum, they must be regarded as unproven and possibly erroneous. In spite of what has been, for many years, a standing offer of a large financial reward (initially $1,000, later raised to $5,000, then $15,000 in 1978 and $50,000 in 1980) for a live, healthy snake {{convert|30|ft|m|2|abbr=on}} or longer by the [[New York Zoological Society]] (later renamed as the Wildlife Conservation Society), no attempt to claim this reward has ever been made.<ref name="Mur97">{{cite book|first1=John C.|last1=Murphy|author-link=species:John C. Murphy |first2=Robert W. |last2=Henderson|author2-link=species:Robert W. Henderson |date=1997|title=Tales of Giant Snakes: A Historical Natural History of Anacondas and Pythons |publisher=Krieger Publishing Co.|isbn=978-0-89464-995-0|pages=24–26, 35, 47–50, 55–56}}</ref>

=== Reported sizes ===
{|class="wikitable sortable collapsible collapsed"
|-
! Date !! Location !! Reported length !! Reported weight !! Reported girth !! Scientifically analyzed length !! Comments
|-
|October, 1859
|Bayam Lepas, Philippines
|{{cvt|853.4|cm}}
|Not listed
|{{cvt|81.28|cm}}
|Not listed
|Discovered eating a pig on the road to Telo Kumbar and killed<ref name="Guinness Book of World Records Animal Facts and Feats"/>
|-
|-
|1912
|Celeb Island{{clarify |date=January 2023}}
|{{cvt|998.2|cm}}
|Not listed
|{{cvt|30.48|cm}}
|Not listed
|Reported to have been shot near a mining camp. Account given by explorer [[Henry C Raven]]. One photo was taken, but the body was not preserved.<ref name="Guinness Book of World Records Animal Facts and Feats">{{cite book |last=Wood |first=G. L. |title=Guinness Book of World Records Animal Facts and Feats |publisher=Sterling Pub Co., Inc |year=1982 |isbn=978-0851122359}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2003/dec/30/indonesia.johnaglionby |title=Captured python said to be world's biggest snake |newspaper=The Guardian |date=2003 |last1=Aglionby |first1=J.}}</ref>
|-
|-
|1931–1948
|[[Evansville, Indiana]], United States
|{{cvt|1023.62|cm}}
|{{cvt|303.907|kg}}
|Not listed
|Not listed
|Kept at [[Mesker Zoo]] between 1931 and 1948. Exceptional weight claim believed to be in error.<ref name="Tales of Giant Snakes: A Historical Natural History of Anacondas and Pythons">{{cite book |last1=Murphy |first1=John C. |last2=Henderson |first2=Robert W. |title=Tales of Giant Snakes: A Historical Natural History of Anacondas and Pythons |publisher=Krieger Pub Co. |year=1997 |isbn=0894649957}}</ref>
|-
|-
|2011 
|[[Kansas City, Missouri]], United States
|{{convert|767|cm|abbr=on}}
|{{cvt|158.8|kg}}
|
|
|Named "Medusa"; considered by the ''[[Guinness Book of World Records]]'' to be the longest (verified) living snake ever kept in captivity<ref name=MedusaGBWR/>
|}

The colour pattern is a complex geometric [[patterns in nature|pattern]] that incorporates different colours. The back typically has a series of irregular diamond shapes flanked by smaller markings with light centers. In this species' wide geographic range, much variation of size, colour, and markings commonly occurs.

In zoo exhibits, the colour pattern may seem garish, but in a shadowy jungle environment amid fallen leaves and debris, it allows them to virtually disappear. Called [[disruptive colouration]], it protects them from predators and helps them to catch their prey.<ref name="Meh87">{{cite book |author=Mehrtens J.M. |year=1987 |title=Living Snakes of the World in Color |place=New York |publisher=Sterling Publishers |isbn=0-8069-6460-X}}</ref>

The huge size and attractive pattern of this snake has made it a favorite zoo exhibit, with several individuals claimed to be above {{convert|20|ft|m|1|abbr=on}} in length and more than one claimed to be the largest in captivity.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/columbus-zoo-pays-to-keep-largest-snake-in-captivity-on-permanent-display | work=Fox News | title=Columbus Zoo Pays to Keep Largest Snake in Captivity on Permanent Display | date=14 January 2008}}</ref> However, due to its huge size, immense strength, aggressive disposition, and the mobility of the skin relative to the body, it is very difficult to get exact length measurements of a living reticulated python, and weights are rarely indicative, as captive pythons are often obese.<ref name="Mur97"/> Claims made by zoos and animal parks are sometimes exaggerated, such as the claimed {{convert|14.85|m|ftin|abbr=on}} snake in [[Indonesia]] which was subsequently proven to be about {{convert|6.5|-|7|m|ftin|abbr=on}} long.<ref name="reuters">Aglionby, John (2004-01-05) [https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2004/jan/05/animalwelfare.indonesia "Stay still, will you?"]. ''Guardian''. Retrieved on 2012-08-21.</ref> For this reason, scientists do not accept the validity of length measurements unless performed on a dead or anesthetized snake that is later preserved in a museum collection or stored for scientific research.<ref name="Mur97"/>

A reticulated python kept in the [[United States]] in [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]], [[Missouri]], named "Medusa" is considered by the ''[[Guinness Book of World Records]]'' to be the longest living snake ever kept in captivity. In 2011 it was reported to measure {{convert|7.67|m|ftin|abbr=on}} and weigh {{convert|158.8|kg|lboz|abbr=on}}.<ref name=MedusaGBWR>{{cite web |title=Longest snake – ever (captivity) |url=http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/longest-snake-ever-(captivity) |website=Guinness Book of World Records |date=2011 |access-date=2016-02-04}}</ref>

In 2012, an albino reticulated python, named "Twinkie", housed in [[Fountain Valley, California]], was considered to be the largest [[albino]] snake in captivity by the [[Guinness World Records]]. It measured {{Cvt|7|m|ftin}} in length and weighed about {{Cvt|168|kg|lb}}.<ref>{{cite web |title=Largest albino snake in captivity |url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/106228-largest-albino-snake-in-captivity |website=Guinness World Records |date=7 December 2012}}</ref>

Dwarf forms of reticulated pythons also occur, from some islands northwest of Australia, and these are being selectively bred in captivity to be much smaller, resulting in animals often referred to as "super dwarfs". Adult super dwarf reticulated pythons are typically between {{convert|1.82|and|2.4|m|ftin|abbr=on}} in length.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Care-Sheets/Snakes/Reticulated-Python/|title=Reticulated Python Care Sheet|website=www.reptilesmagazine.com|date=25 September 2012|access-date=2018-07-07}}</ref>

==Distribution and habitat==
[[File:Malayopython reticulatus, Reticulated python - Kaeng Krachan District, Phetchaburi Province (47924282891).jpg|thumb]]
The reticulated python is found in [[South Asia|South]] and [[Southeast Asia]] from the [[Nicobar Islands]], [[India]], [[Bangladesh]], [[Burma|Myanmar]], [[Thailand]], [[Laos]], [[Cambodia]], [[Vietnam]], [[Malaysia]], and [[Singapore]], east through [[Indonesia]] and the Indo-Australian Archipelago ([[Sumatra]], the [[Mentawai Islands]], the [[Natuna Islands]], [[Borneo]], [[Sulawesi]], [[Java]], [[Lombok]], [[Sumbawa]], [[Sumba]], [[Flores]], [[Timor]], [[Maluku Islands|Maluku]], [[Tanimbar Islands]]) and the [[Philippines]] ([[Basilan]], [[Bohol]], [[Cebu]], [[Leyte]], [[Luzon]], [[Mindanao]], [[Mindoro]], [[Negros Island|Negros]], [[Palawan]], [[Panay]], [[Polillo Islands|Polillo]], [[Samar]], [[Tawi-Tawi]]). The original description does not include a [[Type locality (biology)|type locality]]. The type locality was restricted to "Java" by Brongersma (1972).<ref name="McD99"/>

Three [[subspecies]] have been proposed,<ref name="Aul02">{{cite journal
 |last=Auliya|first=M.|author2=Mausfeld, P.|author3=Schmitz, A.|author2-link=species:Patrick Mausfeld |author-link3=:fr:Andreas Schmitz|author4=Böhme, W.|author-link4=:de:Wolfgang Böhme (Zoologe)
 |title=Review of the reticulated python (''Python reticulatus'' Schneider, 1801) with the description of new subspecies from Indonesia
 |journal=[[Naturwissenschaften]]|volume=89|issue=5|pages=201–213
 |date=2002-04-09
 |doi=10.1007/s00114-002-0320-4|pmid=12135085|bibcode=2002NW.....89..201A|s2cid=4368895}}</ref> but are not recognized in the [[Integrated Taxonomic Information System]]. The color and size can vary a great deal among the subspecies described. Geographical location is a good key to establishing the subspecies, as each one has a distinct geographical range.

The reticulated python lives in rainforests, woodlands, and nearby grasslands. It is also associated with rivers and is found in areas with nearby streams and lakes. An excellent swimmer, it has even been reported far out at sea and has consequently colonized many small islands within its range.<ref name="Meh87"/> During the early years of the 20th century, it is said to have been common even in busy parts of [[Bangkok]], sometimes eating domestic animals.<ref name="Sti74">Stidworthy J (1974). ''Snakes of the World''. Grosset & Dunlap Inc. 160 pp. {{ISBN|0-448-11856-4}}.</ref>

==Behaviour and ecology==
===Diet===
[[File:Python reticulatus feeding in TMII Reptil Park.jpg|thumb|A captive reticulated python eating a chicken]]
As with all pythons, the reticulated python is an [[ambush predator]], usually waiting until prey wanders within strike range before seizing it in its coils and killing by [[constriction]]. Its natural diet includes [[mammal]]s and occasionally [[bird]]s. Small specimens up to {{convert|3|-|4|m|ftin|abbr=on}} long eat mainly small [[mammal]]s such as [[rat]]s, other [[rodent]]s, [[mouse-eared bat]]s, and [[treeshrew]]s, whereas larger individuals switch to prey such as [[small Indian civet]] and [[binturong]], [[primate]]s, [[pig]]s, and [[deer]] weighing more than {{convert|60|kg|lboz|abbr=on}}.<ref name="animaldiversity.org">{{Cite web|url=https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Python_reticulatus/|title = ''Python reticulatus'' (Reticulated Python)| website=[[Animal Diversity Web]]}}</ref> As a rule, the reticulated python seems able to swallow prey up to one-quarter its own length and up to its own weight. Near human habitation, it is known to snatch stray [[chicken]]s, [[cat]]s, and [[dog]]s on occasion.<ref name=Shine/>
Among the largest documented prey items are a half-starved [[sun bear]] of {{convert|23|kg|lboz|abbr=on}} that was eaten by a {{convert|6.95|m|adj=on|ftin|abbr=on}} specimen and took some 10 weeks to digest.<ref name="Fre05">{{cite journal |author=Fredriksson, G. M. |author-link=species:Gabriella Margit Fredriksson |year=2005 |title=Predation on Sun Bears by Reticulated Python in East Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo |journal=Raffles Bulletin of Zoology |volume=53 |issue=1 |pages=165–168 |url=http://rmbr.nus.edu.sg/rbz/biblio/53/53rbz165-168.pdf |archive-date=2007-08-11 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070811101110/http://rmbr.nus.edu.sg/rbz/biblio/53/53rbz165-168.pdf}}</ref>
At least one case is reported of a foraging python entering a forest hut and taking a child.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite journal |doi=10.1073/pnas.1115116108 |title=Hunter–gatherers and other primates as prey, predators, and competitors of snakes |year=2011 |last1=Headland |first1=T. N. |author2-link=Harry W. Greene |last2=Greene |first2=H. W. |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |volume=108 |issue=52 |pages=E1470–E1474 |pmid=22160702|pmc=3248510|doi-access=free}}</ref>

===Reproduction===
The reticulated python is [[Oviparity|oviparous]]. Adult females lay between 15 and 80 [[egg (biology)|eggs]] per [[Clutch (eggs)|clutch]]. At an optimum incubation temperature of {{cvt|31-32|C}}, the eggs take an average of 88 days to hatch.<ref name=Mat99/> Hatchlings are at least {{cvt|2|ft|order=flip}} in length<!-- Snout-to-vent length (SVL) or total length? -->.<ref name=Sti74/>

==Danger to humans==
[[File:Reticulated-catch.jpg|thumb|Large reticulated pythons are occasionally found on the outskirts of Bangkok. Usually, a minimum of two people is required to successfully extract such a large snake.]]
[[File:Reticulated-python.jpg|thumb|Reticulated python in Pune]]
The reticulated python is among the few snakes that prey on humans, and is the only species of snake where video and photographic proof exists of them having consumed humans. In 2015, the species was added to the [[Lacey Act of 1900]], prohibiting import and interstate transport due to its "injurious" history with humans.<ref name="Lacey-ban">{{cite web |date=2015 |title=Notice to the Wildlife Import/Export Community - Subject: Ban on Importation and Interstate Transport of Snake Species Expanded |url=http://www.fws.gov/le/publicbulletin/3-16-2015%20Listing%20of%20Large%20Snakes%20as%20Injurious%20Expanded.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210322105242/http://www.fws.gov/le/publicbulletin/3-16-2015%20Listing%20of%20Large%20Snakes%20as%20Injurious%20Expanded.pdf |archive-date=2021-03-22}}</ref> Attacks on humans in captivity are not common. Wild pythons, however, are known to sometimes prey on humans, particularly in their natural habitat in [[Sulawesi]], [[Indonesia]]. Considering the known maximum prey size, a full-grown reticulated python can open its jaws wide enough to swallow a human, but the width of the shoulders of some adult ''[[Homo sapiens]]'' can pose a problem for even a snake with sufficient size. Reports of human fatalities and human consumption (the latest examples of consumption of an adult human being well authenticated) include:

* A report of a visit of Antonio van Diemen, Governor-General of the [[Dutch East India Company]], to the [[Banda Islands]] in 1638, includes a description of an enslaved woman who, when tending to a garden on the volcanic island of [[Banda Api|Gunung Api]], was strangled by a snake of "24 houtvoeten" (slightly over seven meters) in length, and then swallowed whole. The snake, having become slow after ingesting such a large prey, was subsequently shot by Dutch soldiers and brought to the Governor-General to be looked at, with its victim still inside.<ref>Nationaal Archief, 1.04.02 (VOC), 1126, fol. 409r. https://www.nationaalarchief.nl/onderzoeken/archief/1.04.02/invnr/1126/file/NL-HaNA_1.04.02_1126_0885</ref> Although less reliable than this first-hand document, several early published travel journals describe similar episodes.<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Blussé |editor1-first=L. |editor2-last=de Moor |editor2-first=J. |title=Een Zwitsers leven in de tropen: de lotgevallen van Kapitein Elie Ripon |year=2016 |pages=96–97}}</ref>
* In early 20th-century Indonesia: On Salibabu island, [[North Sulawesi]], a 14-year-old boy was killed and supposedly eaten by a specimen {{cvt|5.17|m}} in length. Another incident involved a woman reputedly eaten by a "large reticulated python", but few details are known.<ref name="Kop27">{{cite journal |author=Kopstein, F. |author-link=Felix Kopstein|year=1927 |title=Over het verslinden van menschen door ''Python reticulatus'' |journal=Tropische Natuur |issue=4 |pages=65–67 |trans-title=On the swallowing of humans by ''P. reticulatus''}}<!-- Check for abstract. --> (in Dutch)</ref>
* In the early 1910s or in 1927, a jeweller went hunting with his friends and was apparently eaten by a {{cvt|6|m}} python after he sought shelter from a rainstorm in or under a tree. Supposedly, he was swallowed feet-first, perhaps the easiest way for a snake to actually swallow a human.<ref name="Bru98">{{cite journal |author=Bruno, S. |year=1998 |url=http://www.pna.it/Site_old/criptozoologia/serpenti.htm |title=I serpenti giganti |trans-title=The giant snakes |journal=Criptozoologia |volume=4 |pages=16–29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070228013241/http://www.pna.it/Site_old/criptozoologia/serpenti.htm |archive-date=2007-02-28 |language=it}}</ref>
* Among a small group of [[Aeta peoples]] in the Philippines, six deaths by pythons were said to have been documented within a period of 40 years, plus one who died later of an infected bite.<ref name="autogenerated1"/>
* In September 1995, a 29-year-old rubber tapper from the southern Malaysian state of [[Johor]] was reported to have been killed by a large reticulated python. The victim had apparently been caught unaware and was squeezed to death. The snake had coiled around the lifeless body with the victim's head gripped in its jaws when it was stumbled upon by the victim's brother. The python, reported as measuring {{cvt|23|ft|m|order=flip}} long and weighing more than {{cvt|300|lb|order=flip}}, was killed soon after by the arriving police, who shot it four times.<ref name=Mur97/>
* In October 2003, a woman was reported to be eaten by a giant reticulated python at [[Sajek Valley]] in [[Rangamati Hill District]], Bangladesh, when she was collecting paddy crops with her husband. People came to help and retrieved the woman's body from the python's belly.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2003 |title=Python attacks, swallows Bangladeshi woman |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2003-11-21/python-attacks-swallows-bangladeshi-woman/1512770 |access-date=2024-05-22 |work=ABC News}}</ref> 
* In October 2008, a woman from [[Virginia Beach]] appeared to have been killed by a {{cvt|13|ft|m|order=flip}} pet reticulated python. The apparent cause of death was [[asphyxiation]]. The snake was later found in the bedroom in an agitated state.<ref>{{cite news |year=2008 |title=Woman killed by pet 13-foot python |url=http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/10/23/Woman_killed_by_pet_13-foot_python/UPI-21431224801360/ |work=UPI |access-date=27 October 2008}}</ref>
* In January 2009, a 3-year-old boy was wrapped in the coils of a {{cvt|18|ft}} pet reticulated python, turning blue. The boy's mother, who had been petsitting the python on behalf of a friend, rescued him by gashing the python with a knife. The snake was later [[Animal euthanasia|euthanized]] because of its wounds.<ref>{{cite news |year=2009 |title=In Las Vegas, python vs. angry mom with a knife |url=http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/jan/22/python-vs-angry-mom-knife/ |work=Las Vegas Sun |access-date=23 January 2009}}</ref>
* In December 2013, a 59-year-old security guard was strangled to death while trying to capture a python near the Bali Hyatt, a luxury hotel on Indonesia's resort island. The incident happened around 3 am as the 4.5-m (15-ft) python was crossing a road near the hotel. The victim had offered to help capture the snake, which had been spotted several times before near the hotel in the Sanur, Bali, area and escaped back into nearby bushes.<ref>{{cite news |year=2013 |title=Python kills security guard near Bali luxury hotel |url=https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/12/27/python-kills-security-guard-near-bali-luxury-hotel.html |work=The Jakarta Post |access-date=29 June 2019}}</ref>
*In March 2017, the body of [[Death of Akbar Salubiro|Akbar Salubiro]], a 25-year-old farmer in [[Central Mamuju Regency]], [[West Sulawesi]], Indonesia, was found inside the stomach of a {{cvt|7|m}} reticulated python. He had been declared missing from his palm tree plantation, and the people searching for him found the python the next day with a large bulge in its stomach. They killed the python and found the whole body of the missing farmer inside. This was the first fully confirmed case of a person being eaten by a python. The process of retrieving the body from the python's stomach was documented by pictures and videos taken by witnesses.<ref>{{cite news |title=Beginilah Ular Piton Menelan Akbar Petani Sawit Memuju Tengah |work=Tribun Timur |date=2017 |author=Nurhadi |language=id |url=http://makassar.tribunnews.com/2017/03/28/beginilah-ular-piton-menelan-akbar-petani-sawit-memuju-tengah |access-date=28 March 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Missing man found dead in belly of 7m-long python in Indonesia: Report |url=http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/missing-man-found-dead-in-belly-of-7m-long-python-report |date=2017 |newspaper=Straits Times |access-date=2017-03-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-39427458 |title=Indonesian man's body found inside python – police |date=2017 |newspaper=BBC |access-date=2017-03-29}}</ref>
* In June 2018, a 54-year-old Indonesian woman in [[Muna Island]], Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia, was killed and eaten by a {{cvt|23|ft|m|adj=on|0}} python. The woman went missing one night while working in her garden, and the next day, a search party was organized after some of her belongings were found abandoned in the garden. The python was found near the garden with a large bulge in its body. The snake was killed and carried into town, where it was cut open, revealing the woman's body completely intact.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.latimes.com/world/asia/la-fg-python-20180616-story.html |title=23-foot python swallows Indonesian woman near her garden |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |access-date=2018-06-17}}</ref>
*In June 2020, a 16-year-old Indonesian boy was attacked and killed by a {{cvt|7|m}} long python in [[Bombana Regency]], Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia. The incident took place near a waterfall at Mount Kahar in Rumbia sub-district. The victim was separated from his four friends in the woods. When he screamed, his friends came to help and found him encoiled by a large python. Villagers came to help and managed to kill the snake using a [[parang (knife)|parang]] machete. However, the victim had already suffocated.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2020 |title=''Seorang Pelajar SMP Dililit Ular Piton hingga Tewas'' |publisher=Kompas |url=https://regional.kompas.com/read/2020/06/15/12203591/seorang-pelajar-smp-dililit-ular-piton-hingga-tewas |access-date=2020-06-15 |language=id}}</ref>
*In October 2022, a 52-year-old woman in Terjun Gajah village, Betara Subdistrict, [[West Tanjung Jabung Regency]], Jambi, Indonesia, was killed and swallowed whole by a {{cvt|6|m}} reticulated python. She went to tap rubber sap on 23 October 2022 and did not return home after sunset. After she was reported missing for a day and a night,  a search party discovered a large python with a bulge in its body in a jungle near the rubber plantation. The villagers immediately killed and dissected the python and discovered the intact body of the missing woman inside. Villagers feared more large pythons might be present because farmers previously had reported two [[goat]]s missing.<ref>{{Cite news |author=Suwandi |date=2022 |title=Sempat Hilang, Seorang Ibu Penyadap Karet di Jambi Ditelan Ular Piton 6 Meter |url=https://regional.kompas.com/read/2022/10/24/180706978/sempat-hilang-seorang-ibu-penyadap-karet-di-jambi-ditelan-ular-piton-6 |access-date=24 October 2022 |work=KOMPAS |language=id}}</ref>
*In June 2024, a woman of Kalempang village in South Sulawesi province in Indonesia went missing, and her body was discovered inside a reticulated python.<ref>{{Cite news  |year=2024 |title=Python swallows woman whole in Indonesia |work=The Straits Times |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/python-swallows-woman-whole-in-indonesia |access-date=10 June 2024}}</ref> 3 weeks later, in July 2024, another woman was discovered inside a python's stomach in South Sulawesi.<ref>{{Cite news |year=2024 |title=Woman found dead after she was swallowed whole by python in central Indonesia |work=The Straits Times |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/woman-found-dead-after-she-was-swallowed-whole-by-python-in-central-indonesia |access-date=3 July 2024}}</ref> In August 2024, an elderly woman was found dead after a predatory attempt by a {{cvt|4|m}} long python. The snake had killed the victim and tried to swallow her, but could not get over the shoulders, regurgitating the body instead.<ref>{{Cite news |year=2024 |title=Woman found dead after she was swallowed whole by python in central Indonesia |work=CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/python-kills-woman-indonesia-swallowed-up-to-her-shoulders-officials-say/ |access-date=16 August 2024}}</ref> 2 weeks later another woman in Jambi province was killed by a {{cvt|5|m}} python, which managed to swallow half of her body before being found and killed by the villagers.<ref>{{Cite news |year=2024 |title=Grandmother, 57, killed by huge python while working on farm in Indonesia | work=Asia Pacific Press |url=https://asiapacificpress.com/517/grandmother-57-killed-by-huge-python-while-working-on-farm-in-indonesia | access-date=6 September 2024}}</ref>

==In captivity==
[[File:Reticulated Python at Little Rays Reptile Zoo.jpg|thumb|Reticulated python with an unusual color pattern: Various color patterns are found in captive-bred specimens – some brought about by [[selective breeding]].]][[File:Large Python Ragunan Zoo.jpg|thumb|In [[Ragunan Zoo]], [[Terrarium]], [[South Jakarta]], Indonesia]]
Increased popularity of the reticulated python in the pet trade is due largely to increased efforts in captive breeding and selectively bred mutations such as the "albino" and "tiger" strains. Other notable color mutations recorded in this species include "sunfire", "motley", "Aztec", "ocelot", "rainbow", and "goldenchild".<ref name=":0" /> Some mutations, such as the "BEL" (black eyed leucistic) mutations are seldom bred due the discovery that they develop fatal gastrointestinal issues upon reaching adulthood.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=McClellan |first=Glen |title=The Complete Reticulated Python: A Comprehensive Guide to the Natural History, Captive Care, and Breeding of the World's Largest Snake |publisher=Living Art Publishing |year=2024 |isbn=9798989987313 |location=Oklahoma, USA |pages=}}</ref> The "jaguar" color mutation is likewise controversial in the breeding of captive reticulated pythons, as certain specimens will develop neurological and osseous inner ears, similar to the "Spider" mutation that occurs in the [[ball python]]. It remains unclear as to why some individual pythons with the jaguar mutation display neurological issues associated with this genetic trait and others do not.<ref>{{Cite book |last=McClellan |first=Glen |title=The Complete Reticulated Python: A Comprehensive Guide to the Natural History, Captive Care, and Breeding of the World's Largest Snake |publisher=Living Art Publishing |year=2024 |isbn=9798989987313 |location=Oklahoma, USA |pages=294}}</ref> Smaller animals such as the proposed "super dwarf" subspecies found on small islands are likewise popular due to their smaller size, as they grow to a fraction of the lengths and weights of their mainland kin due to genetics, limited space and prey availability.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://reptilerapture.net/RETICULATED-PYTHONS--SUPER-DWARF_ep_97.html#:~:text=Common%20Name%3A%20Super%20Dwarf%20Riticulated,Lifespan%3A%2015%2D20%20years | title=Reticulated Pythons - Super Dwarf}}</ref> Dwarf and super dwarf reticulated pythons are likewise defined for captive animals as any reticulated pythons with at least 50 percent lineage hailing from seven select islands in the Selayer island chain near Sulawesi.<ref>{{Cite book |last=McClellan |first=Glen |title=The Complete Reticulated Python: A Comprehensive Guide to the Natural History, Captive Care, and Breeding of the World's Largest Snake |publisher=Living Art Publishing |year=2024 |isbn=9798989987313 |location=Oklahoma, USA |pages=316-318}}</ref> It can make a good captive, but keepers working with adults from mainland populations should have previous experience with large constrictors to ensure safety to both animal and keeper. Although its interactivity and beauty draws much attention, some feel it is unpredictable.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://ecoterrariumsupply.com/reticulated-python-care.php | title = Reticulated Python Care (''Python reticulatus'') – Eco Terrarium Supply | access-date = 2009-02-06 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081230024046/http://ecoterrariumsupply.com/reticulated-python-care.php | archive-date = 2008-12-30 | url-status = dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.boatips.com/reticulatedpythons/ | title = Reticulated Pythons - Boatips.com | access-date = 2009-02-06}}</ref> The python can bite and possibly constrict if it feels threatened, or mistakes a hand for food. While not venomous, large pythons can inflict serious injuries by biting, sometimes requiring stitches.

==See also==
*[[List of largest snakes]]
*[[Burmese python]]
{{Clear}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{Refbegin}}
*[[species:Mark Auliya|Auliya, M.A.]] (2003). ''Taxonomy, Life History and Conservation of Giant Reptiles in West Kalimantan''. Ph.D. thesis, [[University of Bonn]].
*{{cite journal |last1=Auliya |first1=M.A. |last2=Mausfeld |first2=P. |author2-link=species:Patrick Mausfeld |last3=Schmitz |first3=A. |author3-link=species:Andreas Schmitz |last4=Böhme |first4=W. |author4-link=species:Wolfgang Böhme |year=2002 |title=Review of the reticulated python (''Python reticulatus'' Schneider, 1801{{sic}}<!-- this refers to the lack of parentheses around "Schneider, 1801" - the genus Python was only established in 1803. -->) with the description of new subspecies from Indonesia |journal=[[Naturwissenschaften]] |volume=89 |issue=5|pages=201–213 |doi=10.1007/s00114-002-0320-4 |pmid=12135085 |bibcode=2002NW.....89..201A |s2cid=4368895}} (HTML abstract, electronic supplement available to subscribers).
*{{cite journal|author=Raven, H.C. |year=1946 |title=Adventures in python country|journal=[[Natural History (magazine)|Natural History]]|volume=55|pages=38–41}}
*{{cite journal |last1=Shine |first1=R. |author-link=Richard Shine |last2=Ambariyanto |last3=Harlow |first3=P.S. |author3-link=species:Peter S. Harlow |last4=Mumpuni |author4-link=species:Mumpuni |year=1999 |title=Reticulated pythons in Sumatra: biology, harvesting and sustainability |url=http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=1742391 |journal=Biological Conservation |volume=87 |issue=3|pages=349–357 |doi=10.1016/s0006-3207(98)00068-8 |bibcode=1999BCons..87..349S}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons|Malayopython reticulatus}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20190827042210/http://reticulatedpython.info/history.html Reticulated python life history] at [https://web.archive.org/web/20100314092226/http://www.reticulatedpython.info/ Reticulatedpython.info ]. Accessed 7 November 2009
* [http://www.reptileexpert.org/reticulated-python-care/ ''Python reticulatus''] at [http://www.reptileexpert.org/ ReptileExpert.org]. Accessed 22 August 2011.
* [http://www.answers.com/main/ntq-dsid-2392-dekey-%23Reticulated_python Reticulated python] at [http://www.answers.com/ Answers.com]. Accessed 12 September 2007.
* [http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Dec11/SnakesGreene.html Study of man-eating snakes: Snakes are predators on, prey of, and competitors with primates] Cornell Chronicle Online. Accessed 22 December 2011.
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0P69Mp4F8ws 25 ft World's Longest Snake]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VngKrGr6q2A Python swallows Indonesian man whole] Fox News

{{Pythonidae}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q216136}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Apex predators]]
[[Category:Reptiles of Borneo]]
[[Category:Fauna of the Lesser Sunda Islands]]
[[Category:Reptiles described in 1801]]
[[Category:Reptiles of Bangladesh]]
[[Category:Reptiles of Brunei]]
[[Category:Reptiles of Cambodia]]
[[Category:Reptiles of India]]
[[Category:Reptiles of Indonesia]]
[[Category:Reptiles of Laos]]
[[Category:Reptiles of Malaysia]]
[[Category:Reptiles of Myanmar]]
[[Category:Reptiles of Singapore]]
[[Category:Reptiles of Thailand]]
[[Category:Reptiles of the Philippines]]
[[Category:Reptiles of Vietnam]]
[[Category:Snakes of Southeast Asia]]
[[Category:Snakes of Vietnam]]
[[Category:Reptiles as pets]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Johann Gottlob Theaenus Schneider]]