Children's python
Encyclopedia
Children's python is a nonvenomous python species
found in Australia
.
scientist John George Children
.
Dorsum brown with darker spots in five or six longitudinal series. A dark streak on each side of the head, passing through the eye. Lips yellowish, spotted with brown. Ventrum uniformly yellowish.
Head distinct from neck. Nostril superolateral, in a large semidivided nasal. Eye moderate in size, with vertical pupil. Body slightly laterally compressed. Tail short.
Smooth dorsal scales arranged in 41 to 45 rows. Ventrals 257-287; anal plate entire; subcaudals 38-53, all or mostly in two rows.
Rostral broader than high, barely visible from above. Internasals slightly longer than broad, shorter than the anterior prefrontals. Second pair of prefrontals in contact at midline or separated by a small shield. These posterior prefrontals sometimes broken into several shields. Frontal 1½ times as long as broad, slightly shorter than its distance from the end of the snout, longer than the small parietals. 3 to 10 small loreal shields, some almost granular. 11 to 13 upper labials. Three or four of the posterior lower labials with deep pits.
Anterior maxillary teeth and mandibular teeth very long, gradually decreasing in size posteriorly. Premaxillary bone also with teeth.
, the northern third of Northern Territory
, and northeastern Queensland
. Also on the islands of the Torres Strait
. The type locality given is "?" Listed as "N.W. Australia" in the catalogue of the British Museum of Natural History and as unknown in Stimson (1969).
It occurs specifically in the region spanning along the coast between the Kimberleys in Western Australia to Mount Isa
in northwestern Queensland.
s which they catch by dangling from stalactites in caves, which they commonly inhabit, and snatch them out of the air as they fly past.
of Antaresia
, a genus
of the family Pythonidae named after the star Antares
. John Edward Gray
published the original description of the species
in 1842, naming it Liasis childreni. The specific epithet, conserved in the current name, is in honour of Gray's mentor, John George Children
, a curator of the zoological collection at the British Museum
around that time. No subspecies
are currently recognized. Some species
of the genus Altaresia were formerly assigned to the genus
Morelia
.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
found in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Etymology
Both the common name, Children's python, and the specific name or epithet, childreni, are in honor of EnglishEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
scientist John George Children
John George Children
John George Children was a British chemist, mineralogist and zoologist.Children studied at Queens' College, Cambridge. In 1822 he was working as a librarian in the Department of Antiquities at the British Museum when he was appointed assistant keeper of the Natural History Department in succession...
.
Description
Adults grow to an average length of about 1m (~3ft), with a maximum of 1.5m (~5ft). The crown scales are enlarged while those on the body are small and smooth, with a rainbow sheen that can be seen when exposed to direct sunlight.Dorsum brown with darker spots in five or six longitudinal series. A dark streak on each side of the head, passing through the eye. Lips yellowish, spotted with brown. Ventrum uniformly yellowish.
Head distinct from neck. Nostril superolateral, in a large semidivided nasal. Eye moderate in size, with vertical pupil. Body slightly laterally compressed. Tail short.
Smooth dorsal scales arranged in 41 to 45 rows. Ventrals 257-287; anal plate entire; subcaudals 38-53, all or mostly in two rows.
Rostral broader than high, barely visible from above. Internasals slightly longer than broad, shorter than the anterior prefrontals. Second pair of prefrontals in contact at midline or separated by a small shield. These posterior prefrontals sometimes broken into several shields. Frontal 1½ times as long as broad, slightly shorter than its distance from the end of the snout, longer than the small parietals. 3 to 10 small loreal shields, some almost granular. 11 to 13 upper labials. Three or four of the posterior lower labials with deep pits.
Anterior maxillary teeth and mandibular teeth very long, gradually decreasing in size posteriorly. Premaxillary bone also with teeth.
Geographic range
Found in Australia in the extreme north of Western AustraliaWestern Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, the northern third of Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
, and northeastern Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
. Also on the islands of the Torres Strait
Torres Strait
The Torres Strait is a body of water which lies between Australia and the Melanesian island of New Guinea. It is approximately wide at its narrowest extent. To the south is Cape York Peninsula, the northernmost continental extremity of the Australian state of Queensland...
. The type locality given is "?" Listed as "N.W. Australia" in the catalogue of the British Museum of Natural History and as unknown in Stimson (1969).
It occurs specifically in the region spanning along the coast between the Kimberleys in Western Australia to Mount Isa
Mount Isa, Queensland
-Culture and sport:The local theatre group, the Mount Isa Theatrical Society, or MITS, often holds plays and musicals, at least once every few months or so....
in northwestern Queensland.
Diet
The diet consists of reptiles, birds and small mammals, particularly microbatMicrobat
The microbats constitute the suborder Microchiroptera within the order Chiroptera . They are most often referred to by their scientific name...
s which they catch by dangling from stalactites in caves, which they commonly inhabit, and snatch them out of the air as they fly past.
Reproduction
Oviparous, with up to 25 eggs per clutch. Females brood their eggs through a seven week incubation period by coiling around them and occasionally shivering to keep them warm, which also affords the eggs some protection from predators. Juveniles are heavily blotched, but gradually become reddish brown or brown as they mature.Captivity
Often kept as a pet due to its good nature and less demanding requirements. The lifespan of captive specimens has been known to exceed 30 years. Juveniles are fed on pinky mice (baby, hairless mice), while larger individuals can be fed on adult mice or small rats. Feeding should occur roughly once a fortnight.Taxonomy
Anterisia childreni is one of four speciesSpecies
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of Antaresia
Antaresia
Antaresia is a genus of pythons, non-venomous snakes found in Australia. The genus in known by the common name Children's pythons, the name of the type species. Gray named it in honour of his mentor, John George Children, who was a curator of the zoological collection at the British Museum around...
, a genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of the family Pythonidae named after the star Antares
Antares
Antares is a red supergiant star in the Milky Way galaxy and the sixteenth brightest star in the nighttime sky . Along with Aldebaran, Spica, and Regulus it is one of the four brightest stars near the ecliptic...
. John Edward Gray
John Edward Gray
John Edward Gray, FRS was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray ....
published the original description of the species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
in 1842, naming it Liasis childreni. The specific epithet, conserved in the current name, is in honour of Gray's mentor, John George Children
John George Children
John George Children was a British chemist, mineralogist and zoologist.Children studied at Queens' College, Cambridge. In 1822 he was working as a librarian in the Department of Antiquities at the British Museum when he was appointed assistant keeper of the Natural History Department in succession...
, a curator of the zoological collection at the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
around that time. No subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
are currently recognized. Some species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of the genus Altaresia were formerly assigned to the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Morelia
Morelia
Morelia is a city and municipality in the north central part of the state of Michoacán in central Mexico. The city is in the Guayangareo Valley and is the capital of the state. The main pre-Hispanic cultures here were the P'urhépecha and the Matlatzinca, but no major cities were founded in the...
.
External links
- Children's Python (Antaresia childreni) at Antaresia.com. Accessed 4 May 2008.
- Antaresia pythons - breeding cycle at Antaresia.com. Accessed 4 May 2008.
- Children's Python Care Sheet at tinypythons.com. Accessed 19 September 2007.
- Children's Python fact sheet at Burke's Backyard. Accessed 19 September 2007.
- Reptile keeper's licence at NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. Accessed 19 September 2007.
- Children's Python care sheet Accessed 31 July 2011.