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Olive Python
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- Order: Squamata (scaled reptiles)
- Suborder: Serpented (=Ophidia) (snakes)
- Family: Boidae (boas and pythons)
- Genus: Liasis (Australian pythons)
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Scientific Name: Liasis olivaceus Gray,
1842 |
| Habitat: A variety of
habitats, from rain forest to grassland, favoring rocky areas. |
olivaceus="being olive green in
color"
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| Length: Can reach over 13
feet; most specimens reach 8 feet total. |
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| Food: Small mammals,
birds, reptiles. |
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Two specimens are featured on this page. The
first picture is of me holding a captive olive python kept at the
Australian Reptile Centre in Alice Springs. |
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| The second picture is of a
python found in the campground at Nitmiluk National Park
(Katherine Gorge). I had just set up camp and my attention
was drawn to a tree with many large flying foxes (fruit bats)
occupying it. They had started shrieking loudly, because
this python had climbed the tree and was eating the bats!
Unfortunately, I missed getting video of the process--by the time
I arrived beneath the tree, the snake had eaten its
fill. |
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