Spotted Python 21/04/11

While walking up to the shed at night we came across this Spottled Python (aka Children's Python), who was un-impressed to have the torch light upon it.  This is the first Spotted Python we have seen at Jarowair.

Spotted Python 21/04/11

(Antaresia maculosa)
Often referred to as Pygmy Pythons, Spotted Pythons belong to a group of snakes that grow to lengths of only 1.3 metres. They are one of Australia’s smallest Pythons. Spotted Pythons are boldly patterned with a dark body and lateral blotches.
Habitat
The Spotted Python is a nocturnal species of snake found in woodlands and shrubs and often in the vicinity of rocky outcrops and caves of the coastal areas of Queensland and northern New South Wales.
Diet
Spotted Pythons feed on small mammals, birds and lizards. Despite their size, these small snakes still pack a powerful punch—just ask any insectivorous bat! The spotted python is best known for its ambush attacks at the entrance of caves as large groups of bats leave their roosts at dusk.
Breeding
A Spotted Python’s mating activity commences in late April and continues through to mid August. Females will lay a clutch of between six to eighteen eggs. Like all pythons, the female stays coiled around her eggs for two to three months until they hatch. Once hatched the hatchlings must fend for themselves, there is no further parental care other then the incubation of the eggs.