Python sebae (Gmelin, 1789)

Common Name and Status

Python sebae, commonly known as the Central African rock python, is Africa's largest snake species and one of the world's largest snakes.

Adult Body Length

Adult Central African rock pythons measure 3 to 3.53 m (9 ft 10 in to 11 ft 7 in) in total length including the tail; only unusually large specimens are likely to exceed 4.8 m (15 ft 9 in). Reports of specimens over 6 m (19 ft 8 in) are considered reliable, though larger individuals have never been confirmed.

Typical and Exceptional Weight

Reported weights generally fall in the range of 55 to 65 kg (121 to 143 lb) or more, and exceptionally large specimens may weigh 91 kg (201 lb) or more. On average, large adult Central African rock pythons are heavily built.

Body Build Comparisons

They are typically more heavily built than most specimens of the somewhat longer reticulated python, as well as Indian and Burmese pythons, and far more heavily built than the amethystine python. However, this species is on average less heavily built than the green anaconda.

Size Ranking Among Snakes

Some authors agree that this species can exceptionally exceed 90 kg (200 lb), and it may be the second heaviest living snake. One specimen reportedly measuring 7 m (23 ft 0 in) in length was killed by K. H. Kroft in 1958, and was claimed to have contained a 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) juvenile Nile crocodile in its stomach.

Record Specimens

An even larger authenticated specimen was shot in the Gambia and measured 7.5 m (24 ft 7 in). Body size of this species varies considerably across different regions.

Regional Size Variation

In general, individuals are smaller in densely populated human regions such as southern Nigeria, and only reach their maximum length in lower human population density areas like Sierra Leone. Males are typically smaller than females.

Unconfirmed Extreme Length Report

One individual captured in Côte d'Ivoire was allegedly 9.96 m (32.7 ft) long. This snake has a thick body covered in colored blotches, which often join to form a broad, irregular stripe.

Body Coloration

Body markings range in color from brown, olive, chestnut, and yellow, and fade to white on the underside. The head is triangular, marked on top with a dark brown "spear-head" outlined in buffy yellow.

Head and Dental Features

It has many sharp, backwardly curved teeth. A distinctive triangular subocular marking is found beneath the eye.

Scale Characteristics

Like all pythons, the scales of the Central African rock python are small and smooth. Scales around the lips hold heat-sensitive pits, used to detect warm-blooded prey even in the dark.

Physiological Traits

Unlike more advanced snakes which only have one lung, pythons have two functioning lungs. They also have small, visible pelvic spurs that are believed to be vestigial hind limbs.

Distinction From Related Species

The Central African rock python (P. sebae) can be distinguished from the closely related Southern African rock python (P. natalensis) in several ways. While the southern species has a similar overall color to the northern Central African species, it is described as "drabber".

Head Marking Differences

P. sebae has two prominent light lines that run from the nose, over the eye, to the back of the head; these lines are much duller in P. natalensis. The northern Central African species also has considerably larger head scales than the southern species.

Size Comparison Between Species

P. natalensis is typically smaller in size than P. sebae: P. natalensis reaches an average length between 2.8 and 4 m, with a maximum measured size of 5.8 m, while P. sebae has an average length between 2.7 and 4.6 m, with a maximum measured size of 6.5 m. In P. natalensis, the dark patch in front of and behind the eye is paler and narrower than in P. sebae, creating the appearance of a dark stripe rather than the yellow stripe seen at eye level in P. sebae.

Native Distribution Range

The Central African rock python is found across most of tropical sub-Saharan Africa, ranging from Senegal east to Ethiopia and Somalia, and south to northern Angola and northern Tanzania. P. sebae occupies central and western Africa, while P. natalensis has a more eastern and southern distribution from southern Kenya to South Africa.

Native Habitat Types

This species inhabits a wide range of habitats, including forest, savanna, grassland, semidesert, and rocky areas. It is particularly associated with regions of permanent water, and occurs on the edges of swamps, lakes, and rivers.

Habitat Adaptability

It also readily adapts to disturbed habitats, so it is often found near human habitation, especially in cane fields. Feral Central African rock pythons were noted in the Florida Everglades in the 1990s, and another individual was found there in 2009.

Invasive Status in Florida

It is feared that the species is becoming established as an invasive species in Florida, alongside the already established Burmese python. Reproduction for this species takes place in the spring.

Reproductive Traits

Central African rock pythons are oviparous, laying between 20 and 100 hard-shelled, elongated eggs in an old animal burrow, termite mound, or cave. The female provides surprising maternal care, coiling around the eggs to protect them from predators and possibly help incubate them until they hatch after around 90 days.

Post-Hatching Maternal Care

Unusually for snakes in general, and pythons in particular, the female guards the hatchlings for up to two weeks after they hatch to protect them from predators. Hatchlings measure between 45 and 60 cm (17.5 and 23.5 in) in length, and appear almost identical to adults aside from having more contrasting colors.

Lifespan

Individuals can live over 12 years in captivity.