Central African rock python

Species of snake

The Central African rock python (Python sebae) is a species of large constrictor snake in the family Pythonidae. The species is native to sub Saharan Africa. It is one of 10 living species in the genus Python. Africa's largest snake and one of the eight largest snake species in the world (along with the green anaconda, reticulated python, Burmese python, Southern African rock python, Indian python, yellow anaconda and Australian scrub python), specimens may approach or exceed The southern species is generally smaller than its northern relative but in general, the Central African rock python is regarded as one of the longest species of snake in the world. The snake is found in a variety of habitats, from forests to near deserts, although usually near sources of water. The snake becomes dormant during the dry season. The Central African rock python kills its prey by constriction and often eats animals up to the size of antelope, occasionally even crocodiles. The snake reproduces by egg laying. Unlike most snakes, the female protects her nest and sometimes even her hatchlings. The snake is widely feared, though it is nonvenomous and very rarely kills humans. Although the snake is not endangered, it does face threats from habitat reduction and hunting. Some cultures in sub Saharan Africa consider it a delicacy, which may pose a threat to its population.

The Central African rock python is in the genus Python, large constricting snakes found in the moist tropics of Asia and Africa. P. sebae was first described by Johann Friedrich Gmelin, a German naturalist, in 1789. Therefore, he is also the taxon author of the species. The generic name Python is a Greek word referring to the enormous serpent at Delphi slain by Apollo in Greek mythology. The specific name sebae is a latinization of the surname of Dutch zoologist, Albertus Seba. Common name usage varies with the species referred to as the African rock python or simply the rock python.

Africa's largest snake species and one of the world's largest, Exceptionally large specimens may weigh or more. On average, large adults of Central African rock pythons are quite heavily built, perhaps more so than most specimens of the somewhat longer reticulated as well as Indian and Burmese pythons and far more so than the amethystine python, although the species is on average less heavily built than the green anaconda. The species may be the second heaviest living snake with some authors agreeing that it can exceptionally exceed One specimen, reportedly in length, was killed by K. H. Kroft in 1958 and was claimed to have had a juvenile Nile crocodile in its stomach. An even larger specimen considered authentic was shot in the Gambia and measured
The Central African rock python's body is thick and covered with colored blotches, often joining up in a broad, irregular stripe. Body markings vary between brown, olive, chestnut, and yellow, but fade to white on the underside. Those around the lips possess heat sensitive pits, which are used to detect warm blooded prey, even in the dark. Pythons also possess two functioning lungs, unlike more advanced snakes, which have only one, and also have small, visible pelvic spurs, believed to be the vestiges of hind limbs. P. sebae has two prominent light lines from the nose, over the eye to the back of the head, which are much duller in P. natalensis. The northern species has considerably larger head scales. (max. size measured 5.8 meters.) and, while P. sebae with an average length between 2.7 and 4.6 meters long (max. size measured 6.5 meters. from Senegal east to Ethiopia and Somalia and south to Namibia and South Africa. It is feared to be establishing itself as an invasive species alongside the already established Burmese python. Feral rock pythons were also noted in the 1990s in the Everglades. and is found on the edges of swamps, lakes, and rivers. Occasionally, it may eat the cubs of big cats such as leopards, lions, and cheetahs, cubs of hyenas, and puppies of wild dogs such as jackals and Cape hunting dogs However, these encounters are very rare, as the adult cats can easily kill pythons or fend them off. On March 1, 2017, a 3.9 m (12 ft 10 in) African rock python was filmed eating a large adult male spotted hyena weighing This encounter suggests that the snake might very well be capable of hunting and killing larger and more dangerous animals than previously thought. The largest ever recorded meal of any snake was when a 4.9m African Rock Python consumed a 59 kg impala.

Reproduction occurs in the spring. Hatchlings are between in length and appear virtually identical to adults, except with more contrasting colors.

Documented attacks on humans are exceptionally rare, despite the species being common in many regions of Africa, and living in diverse habitats including those with agricultural activity. Bite marks around the boy's neck and ears may have resulted from an attempt to swallow him. An autopsy showed that the boys died of asphyxiation, The owner was charged with criminal negligence for not adequately protecting the boys from the snake. (See main article). In 2017, a 8 feet (2 m) female Central African rock python, kept as a pet in Hampshire, England, was found to have killed its owner by asphyxiation, according to a coroner's inquest.

In 2002 near Durban, South Africa, a 10 year old boy was reportedly swallowed by a Central African rock python over a three hour period, as seven other children stayed hidden in a mango tree. The animal was not captured and the story could not be verified, although detailed descriptions of the snake's markings and predation technique were reported to have seemed credible to a local snake park operator. In 2009 in Sabaki Village, Malindi District, Kenya, a male farm manager was reportedly attacked after stepping on a 3.96 m python, the exact species of which was not determined. After an hour's struggle, he was reportedly dragged up a tree, but then rescued by police and villagers after he was able to call for help on his mobile phone. The snake was reportedly captured by police, but had escaped and disappeared by the next day. The man said he bit the snake's tail while he was being attacked and was injured on his lower lip because the tip of the tail was sharp.

Luo people of Kenya living mainly in the area near Lake Victoria generally consider snakes to be evil and believe that sorcerers make them harm people. They express a different attitude towards pythons such as making them appear in play songs and even worshiping them. The Luo call the Central African rock python [[wikt:ng'ielo in their language, and with the songs containing a phrase ng'ielo jadhogre “python the coiling”, children make a line and imitate a python's motion. When the Luo worship a python, they call her Omieri (or Omweri) a returning python spirit. The python is then seen as a reincarnation of Omieri, Goddess of Harvest and linked with rain and fertility.