Borneo python

The Borneo python (Python breitensteini) is a species of non-venomous python endemic to the island of Borneo.[1][2]

Borneo python
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Pythonidae
Genus: Python
Species:
P. breitensteini
Binomial name
Python breitensteini
Synonyms
  • Python breitensteini Steindachner, 1880
  • Python curtus breitensteini
    — Stull, 1935
  • Python curtus breitensteini
    — Stimson, 1969[2]
  • Python breitensteini
    Keogh, Barker & Shine, 2001

Etymology

The specific name, breitensteini, is in honor of Heinrich Breitenstein, a German physician and naturalist who collected amphibians and reptiles in Borneo.[3]

Description
Juvenile.
Juvenile in captivity.

Adults of P. breitensteini have been reported to attain a total length (including tail) of 2.1 m (7 ft), although they are usually no more than 1.2 m (4 ft). Heavy-bodied, they can weigh as much as 13.6 kg (30 lb). Females are generally larger than males. The head is broad with several thermoreceptive pits along the nose. The tail is short and tapering.

The color pattern is usually tan with brown blotching, which varies greatly. Though no instances of albinism have been reported, a few individuals display a significantly lighter color, appearing more yellow than brown. Juveniles have a more contrasting pattern than adults. The head is usually yellow.

Distribution and habitat

Python breitensteini is found in Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia, on the island of Borneo.[1][2] Typically, they are found at lower elevations, on poorly drained flood plains, or on the edges of swampy areas; man-made irrigation of farmland has also provided appropriate habitat.

Captivity
Hatchling egg tooth visible

While the Borneo python generally has a reputation for being mean-tempered, this species is increasing in popularity among reptile enthusiasts because captive-bred specimens are recognized as easier to handle than wild-caught snakes. Almost all of the early imported animals were animals originally caught for the skin trade.

Taxonomy

For a while considered a subspecies of Python curtus, P. breitensteini was re-elevated to a full species by Keogh, Barker and Shine (2001).[4]

References
  1. Inger, R. F.; Iskandar, D.; Lilley, R.; Jenkins, H.; Das, I. (2012). "Python breitensteini". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012: e.T192013A2028005. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  2. McDiarmid, R. W.; Campbell, J. A.; Touré, T. (1999). Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. Volume 1. Washington, DC: Herpetologists' League. ISBN 1893777014.
  3. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Python breitensteini, p. 38).
  4. Python breitensteini at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 29 December 2015.

Further reading
  • Das I (2006). A Photographic Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Borneo. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 144 pp. ISBN 0-88359-061-1. (Python breitensteini, p. 16).
  • Keogh JS, Barker DG, Shine R (2001). "Heavily Exploited but Poorly Known: Systematics and Biogeography of Commercially Harvested Pythons (Python curtus group) in Southeast Asian". Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 73: 113-129.
  • Steindachner F (1880) ("1881"). "Über eine neue Pythonart (Python Breitensteini) aus Borneo". Sitzungberichte der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften. Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Classe. Abtheilung I. (Vienna) 82: 267-268. (Python breitensteini, new species).
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