Here you will find information on the Reticulated Python (Python Reticulatus) and an informative guide to owning one of these animals.

 

 

Reticulated Pythons are among one of the four largest species of snake in the world, they include the Anaconda, African Rock Python, Burmese Python, and the longest of them all,  the Reticulated Python. 

Reticulated Pythons are native to Southeast Asia.  They are a long but relatively slender snake.  While most of the larger snakes tend to build up in girth after they reach a certain size, Retics (as they are commonly called) seem to hold their slender stature, and increase more in length.  These snakes can grow extremly large, extremly fast.  If fed properly, a hatchling (new born snake out of the egg) can reach 10 feet by the end of the year.  With an average lifespan of 25 years in captivity, it's no surprise that the longest specimen recorded was pushing 30 feet, weighing in at over 350 pounds.  Like many other species of animal, size varies by sex.  Females tend to always grow larger than males, at full grown length, they can easily reach 25 feet, and over 300 pounds.  Their girth tends to me much thicker than males due to the fact that they must be able to support their offspring.  Males can reach lengths of 18 feet, and over 150 pounds, although male specimens over this length are rare.  The pattern found on most normal species concists of a net-like maze with different sized blotches running from the back of the head all  the way down to the end of the tail; the word "Reticulate" means having a net-like appearance.  Colors can vary but usually have a base color of tan or gray, silver is often mixed in with this combination and the entire body has an iridescent sheen to it.  Their heads are relatively large for their bodies, and they can hold over 100 razor sharp teeth at a time.  These teeth are curved back towards the snakes throat to ensure that any meal they capture, does not esape; it also helps with the consumption of the prey.

 

 

 

 

The Reticulated Python is native to Southeast Asia, the Phillipines and Indonesia, which is made up of many different islands.  They have the largest range of any python species.  This being said, over millions of years, Retics in different locations tend to develop slightly different traits.  These differences are usually seen in color, pattern, and size.  There are species that are native to the island of Jampea, which tend to be a relatively small species compared to the so called "normal" species.  There are also specimens native to the Island of Sulawesi which is home to some of the largest documented Reticulated Pythons.  All of these different islands and locations have formed small, different species of retics.  When people reffer to their animal as being a "mainland," what mainland might that be?  After years of breeding animals of one island origin to animals of another, there is no so called mainland anymore.  Indonesia is made up of thousands of islands, which one of those might be the "mainland"?  Millions of years ago, there might of been one species of retic, all similar in appearance, and all the same size.  In the wild today, it is true, there still are Retics native to certain lands that tend to look different than others, but by the time these animals have been exported from their country, imported to ours, raised in captivity, and bred to animals that have been in captivity for years, how can the offspring of that animal carry the same features?  Check with the breeder that you choose to buy your "locality" Retic from, and find out the history of the parents.  Otherwise, an animal you thought would only reach 12 feet, might double that in length.