THE INDIAN PYTHON
Prasanta Patnaik
Indian pythons which are called python modulus by the zoologists, usually live in damp bushy forests and rarely in the dense forests. Full grown python measures around 20 feet and weighs about 100 to 150 kgs. It usually lives for 15 to 17 years.
Python is the largest Indian snake. Like other snakes, it was completely non-vegetarian. Python kills birds of different varieties , rabbits, jackals, small, deer, goats etc . and even there are instances of hungry pythons killing leopards, tigers and even small boys. Whenever a python attacks on any bird or animal, it tries to swallow its head with its wide open mouth and then coils round it to kill its hunt by suffocating . After killing the hunt, it swallows the body completely.
A python usually takes its food once in a week and can manage even beyond . It can also go without food for months together under compelling circumstances.
The pythons have strange habits of hunting. It climbs the trees at night when the birds can seldom fly and kill them for their food. It also hides itself near bushes or hangs itself from the branches of big trees and attacks its prey. It passes nearer. It Seldom follows its prey because it can not move very swiftly carrying its huge body.
The pythons mate in February. Wildlife observes have seen mating of pythons once a day during the morning time, which lasts for about an hour. Gestation period of pythons is 82 to 83 days and they lays eggs in April or May every year. The eggs are white and leathery and adhered to one another by a gum-like substance. The female pythons attain their maturity at the age of 4 or 5 and start laying eggs. A young female pythons lays about 107 eggs, depending upon the age and size of the breeding female.
Pythons lay two types of eggs, fertile and unfertile. The fertile eggs measure 8.0-8.6 cms in length and 5.4.55 cms in breadth . Each egg averaged 150 to 172 gms. In weight. The unfertile eggs are small and abnormal in size, light brown in colour and measured 6.6. X 4.4 cms in size weighing around 60 gms.
The pythons brood their eggs and remain coiled round them till they hatch. The female python coiled round the eggs its head at the top. Kept in such a way that no eggs its head at the top, kept in such a way that no eggs are visible. She makes known her resent of intruders with a hissing sound.
The frequent jerking body movements at this time may be a muscular functioning raising the body temperature to facilitate egg incubation. During this period she does not accepts any food or drink. She never leaves the eggs. No sloughing occurs during the entire period of incubation.
After 56-58 days, the python exposes her eggs. The eggs begin to crack and some newly hatched python heads appear through the cracks.
According to the observations of Dr. L. N. Acharyo, a wildlife observer and Veterinary Surgeon of Nandankanan Zoolgoical Parks of Orissa, the full emergence of a hatching from the egg takes about 10 minutes. Once it was observed at Nandan Kanan that 38 young pythons were hatched out a total number of 53 eggs layed.
Soon, the young pythons move about the mother’s body. She shows no interest in her young ones. It takes about two days for all the hatchlings to come out of the eggs.
After hatching the young ones measure 58.5 to 66.5 cms in length and weigh between 77 to 103 grams. One newly hatched python and rats after about 3 days. Death rates in young pythons are high both in captivity as well as in wildlife because of their cannibalism.
The number of this Indian python is reduced to an alarming extent because of indiscriminate poalching. The pythons as they consider its fiesa extremely delicious. Others kill pythons to trade in its skin which is used for preparing fashionable chappals, ladies hand bags, belts, watch straps etc.
