King python

African animals

Reptiles

Snakes evolved on Earth about 150-100 million years ago and today there are about 3000 different species. King pythons are the smallest variety of pythons and grow to about 110-150cm in length, unlike the reticulated python, the longest of all snakes, which grows to about 10m. King pythons live in central and western Africa where they live on the ground and underground in the savannah. They are nocturnal and in order to hunt in the dark, they have heat pits on both sides of their snouts to sense infrared radiation from their prey. They are not poisonous, but kill their prey by hugging and suffocating it. They mostly take small mammals and birds, which they then swallow whole thanks to their loose jaw halves that allow them to widen their mouths.

The king python is threatened by hunting for its skin and the capture of wild snakes for sale as pets. The species is covered by CITES Appendix II, which means that individuals for sale must have a valid CITES certificate for trade and possession to be legal.

CITES B