Carpet Python

Carpet pythons are the most widespread group of pythons in Australia, occurring across much of the mainland. Robust snakes, they may vary considerably in colour and form.The carpet pythons from the rain-forests of northeastern Queensland can be a striking black or dark brown with long bold yellow stripes or blotches.

The so called Diamond Python that occurs along the east coast from  southern New South Wales to Victoria is the one encountered by many people: olive black with  creamy yellow rosettes along the body. Other variations occur in inland, northern and Western  Australia.

Carpet pythons are generally ambush predators rather than active hunters. They select a spot next to a trail used by other animals and lie in wait.

Amethystine Python

The Amethystine Python, which is also known as the Scrub Python, is Australia’s largest snake. Specimens have been measured at more than 8.5 m in length but this is quite exceptional and a 5 meter snake is regarded as very big.

The name of this species comes from the milky iridescent sheen on its scales,which gives it an amethyst-like colour. Unlike many of the very big boas from overseas, this snake has a slim body.

Just the same it can eat large prey and will kill and eat wallabies and bush pigs. More often it takes  birds, fruit-bats, possums and similar sized mammals. It is usually active at night and younger animals are mainly tree dwelling.

The large adults are more terrestrial but they are still quite capable of getting up into the trees, male Amethystine Pythons are aggressive with one another during the mating season and at such times they will engage in combat.

Childrens Python

Children’s python is a name applied to a group of three small pythons. Contrary to popular belief their name does not signify that they are pythons for children; it is in fact the name of an English naturalist, JG. Children after whom the snakes were named.

They are, however, popular snakes with reptile keepers and are a good species for young people to keep because of their small size and placid temperament.

Children’s pythons occur over much of Australia and are often associated with rock outcrops and caves where they are very adept at catching bats.They will climb a rock face at the entrance to a cave where bats are roosting and wait there until the bats fly out in the evening.They will catch a bat flying past and eat it hanging in mid-air,secured to the rocks only by their tails. They also eat frogs, lizards and rodents.

Water Python

The Water Python is a northern Australian species that, as its name suggests, is usually associated  ith water. It is found around freshwater billabongs,watercourses, lagoons and swamps and feeds on mammals, birds, particularly waterbirds, and reptiles. It is also known to eat birds’ eggs. The Water Pythons around Fogg Dam near Darwin have been found to occur in huge numbers.

Their biology is tied in to that of the water rat ,which is also abundant there. The only food in  sufficient quantity for newly hatched Water Pythons to eat are baby water rats. If the rats fail to breed or breed too early, then only very few baby pythons will survive from that year.

Woma Python

Pythons generally constrict their prey by coiling around it and increasing the pressure every time the animal breathes out. The prey then suffocates as it cannot draw another breath.

The Woma or Sand Python has a different strategy. It locates much of its prey down burrows where there is not enough room to coil and constrict. Instead the Woma squashes the victim against the burrow wall with its body. Womas may often be found with scarring on their bodies where victim did not give in quietly.

These pythons are also known to lure prey by wriggling the end of their tails in much the same way as death adders. As a consequence, adults of this species may be found with part of their tails  damaged or missing where a curious bird, mammal or reptile has had a snap before being attacked itself.

Salt Water Crocodiles

The Saltwater Crocodile is a far more formidable animal than its freshwater relative, and it does eat people.While normally found in estuaries and tidal rivers, these crocodiles also inhabit fresh water and will go out to sea. The smaller Saltwater Crocodiles feed on insects, frogs, small fish and  reptiles.The larger ones will eat fish, birds, reptiles and whatever other suitably sized animals they can get, including wallabies.

In the wet season females construct a nest of vegetation and soil and lay their eggs within. The eggs are left to incubate in the heat generated by the rotting vegetation. Mortality of eggs in nests is high,often because flooding covers the eggs with water and the embryos drown.

The females remain near their nests and will defend them from intruders It has been estimated that about 20 per cent of the eggs laid in a season actually hatch, and less than 1 per cent will reach maturity. As with Freshwater Crocodiles, the female will remove hatchlings from the nest and take them to the water.

Freshwater Crocodiles

The Freshwater Crocodile is smaller than the Saltwater Crocodile and has a narrow snout. It feeds on such prey as frogs, shrimps, fish and insects but will take anything of a suitable size. It is not regarded as dangerous to swimmers, although a close eye would be need to watch over children. Freshwater Crocodiles will bite if harassed.

Found only in northern Australia, the Freshwater Crocodile inhabits permanent freshwater swamps, billabongs and rivers. it may also move into the tidal areas of some rivers where the Saltwater Crocodiles are absent or low in numbers.

Nesting and Growth

During the dry season a female crocodile digs out a nest on a sandbank, lays her eggs and covers it over with sand. Several females may use the same area to nest, so sometimes a nest of eggs will be excavated by another female as she digs her own nest.

When they are born, the young call from the nest and are dug out by an adult female, who till carry them to the water in her mouth. Females will remain with groups of hatchlings for several weeks to protect them from predictors. During this period the mothers can be very aggressive.

In the upper reaches of the Liverpool River in Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory, the Freshwater Crocodiles exhibit extremely stunted growth. This seems to be related to their habitat which is somewhat rocky and lacking in food. Although they are mature the crocodiles here are considerably smaller in both size and weight compared to those found on coastal plains where food is more plentiful.