The Pygmy Python is a small species of snake that grows to less than two feet in length. It is native to parts of Australia.
This species is sometimes referred to as the Anthill Python as it is often found in termite mounds.
Pygmy Python Taxonomy
In the Animal Kingdom, Taxonomy is used as the science and practice of classifying different species and sub-species based on their biological and genetic makeup.
Family
The Pygmy Python belongs to the Pythonidae family of snakes. This essentially means that the snake is a Python. Other families of snake include Boas, Colubrids, Elapids and Vipers.
The Python family contains some of the largest snakes in the world. The family has 10 different genera and 42 different species at the latest count. This will continue to change as more species are discovered and reclassified.
Pythons are native to Africa, Asia and Australia. However, while a number of species can be found in parts of the United States, these snakes were introduced and are considered invasive species. One example is the Burmese Python in Florida.
Genus
The genus that the Pygmy Python belongs to is called Antaresia. This is a genus that contains four small species of Python.
The four species in this genus are all native to Australia and are the Children’s Python, the Spotted Python, the Stimson’s Python and of course, the Pygmy Python.
The name Antaresia was given to the genus. It is named after the star Antares which can be found in the Scorpion constellation.
Until recently, the species in this genus were considered sub-species of the Children’s Python and were part of the Liasis genus with species such as the Olive Python.
Species
The scientific name for the Pygmy Python is Antaresia perthensis and there are currently no recognised sub-species.
The species was first described in 1932 by an American herpetologist named Olive Griffith Stull.
Pygmy Python Description
The Pygmy Python is the smallest species of python in the world. They typically only grow to around 60cm or two feet in length.
They are also a very light species, with adults weighing roughly 200g. They really do live up to the name, Pygmy Python.
Despite their small size, they are a relatively muscular snake with a small wedge-shaped head.
The background color of the snake is typically brown or reddish brown in color with darker blotches or markings running along their body.
The intensity, color and number of these markings can vary greatly from one snake to another.
These markings are much more intense in hatchling and juveniles and tend to fade as the snake matures. The markings can sometimes fade completely in older adults.
Natural Habitat and Distribution
The Pygmy Python is native to parts of Western Australia. Specifically, this species is mainly found in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.
Here, they are located in the Western part of the region close to the Coast. Their range extends Southwards into parts of Northern Gascoyne.
In the Northern portion of their range, the Pygmy Python can be found in parts of South-Western Kimberley.
The Pilbara region is known for its extremely arid conditions. It has no formal wet or dry season, with only a little bit of rain falling in the summer months.
The vegetation here is sparse and typically consists of stunted eucalyptus trees and small grassy bushes which these pythons like to hide in to escape the intense heat.
However, they are mainly found in termite mounds where they will spend most of the day. This is where they get their other common name, the Anthill Python.
They have even been found to share the same termite mounds with other species of snakes and lizards, including the deadly King Brown Snake.
Pygmy Python Behaviour
Like many other species of snake, the Pygmy Python uses its forked tongue to ‘taste’ the air.
The tongue collects airborne particles and transfers them to an organ in their mouth called the Jacobson’s organ. This organ can then help to detect nearby prey.
Despite the fact that this species often shares termite mounds with other species of snake, they are actually a solitary species and only really interact with other Pygmy Pythons during the mating season.
The cohabitation with other snakes in the termite mounds is simply a group of snakes taking advantage of the same resource as opposed to a communal thing.
This snake is a nocturnal hunter and will wait in its termite mound until the sun goes down before emerging in search of food.
These snakes are opportunistic and will feed on a variety of different prey. However, they seem to have a preference to different types of prey as they age.
Juveniles will primarily feed on small lizards such as geckos and skinks while adults will also eat small mammals, amphibians and bats.
In fact, these snakes have an innovative way of catching bats. After nightfall, they will sit on ledges at cave edges and catch bats that are entering and exiting the cave.
