Antaresia maculosa
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| Antaresia maculosa | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Antaresia maculosa (Peters, 1873) |
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- Common names: Spotted python.
Antaresia maculosa is a non-venomous python species found in northern Australia. A popular pet among Australian reptile enthusiasts due to its small size and even temperament. No subspecies are currently recognized.[2]
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[edit] Description
Adults average about 100-140 cm in length. It has an irregular, blotched color pattern throughout its life. The blotches have ragged edges because the dark pigmentation occurs only on complete scales.
[edit] Geographic range
Found in Australia from the extreme north of the Cape York Peninsula, south through eastern Queensland to northern New South Wales. Also on many islands off the coast of Queensland. The type locality given is "Rockhampton, Port Mackay, Port Bowen [= Port Clinton]" [Queensland, Australia]. L.A. Smith (1985) restricted the type locality to "Port Mackay" (Mackay, Queensland, in 21° 09'S, 149° 11'E) by lectotype designation.[1]
[edit] Habitat
Found in most types of habitats, but prefers rocky hillsides and outcrops with crevices and caves.
[edit] Feeding
One of its favorite foods are the insectivorous bats that it catches at the entrance of their caves. Being the largest members of this genus, captive specimens will usually accept mice and small rodents.
[edit] Reproduction
Oviparous, with females laying up to 15 eggs at a time.
[edit] Taxonomy
A new subspecies, A. m. brentonoloughlini was described by Hoser (2003).[3]
[edit] See also
- List of pythonid species and subspecies.
- Pythonidae by common name.
- Pythonidae by taxonomic synonyms.
[edit] References
- ^ a b McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré T. 1999. Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, vol. 1. Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. ISBN 1-893777-00-6 (series). ISBN 1-893777-01-4 (volume).
- ^ Antaresia maculosa (TSN 634765). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved on 18 September 2007.
- ^ Antaresia maculosa at the TIGR Reptile Database. Accessed 9 September 2007.
[edit] Further reading
- Mattison C. 1999. Snake. DK Publishing. ISBN 0-7894-4660-X.
- Fyfe G, Green D. 2003. Keeping Children's Pythons. Australian Reptile Keeper Publications. ISBN 0-958605076.
[edit] External links
- Spotted Python (Antaresia maculosa) at Antaresia.com. Accessed 18 September 2007.
