Pythons

[GuateGojira]

New records:

I have found three documents that presents exceptional figures for reticulated pythons.

1. Fredriksson - 2005. Predation on Sun bears by Reticulated python in east Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo:
In this document, a huge female was captured. It measured 695 cm in total length and weighed 59 kg (had not eat anything in 3 months). This is, as far I know, the longest wild specimen recorded by scientists in the field.

*This image is copyright of its original author

Source: http://dare.uva.nl/document/161117

2. Headland & Greene - 2011. Hunter–gatherers and other primates as prey, predators, and competitors of snake:
This document present the following paragraphs:
a - "Reticulated pythons (Python reticulatus) live throughout much of Southeast Asia and the Indo-Australian Archipelago; males reach a total length (TL) of ≤5 m and mass of 20 kg, whereas females achieve >7 m and 75 kg (17) but rarely reach 10 m (12)."

b - "Eleven of the pythons ranged from 4.5 to 10 m in TL (x = 6.45 m)."

c - "T.N.H. examined a python immediately after an Agta hunter shot it on June 9, 1970, that was 6.9 m in TL, 65 cm in maximum circumference (Fig. 1 [Look previous posts]), and female based on size (17). Three men skinned and butchered the snake in less than 1 h (Fig. 2) and obtained at least 25 kg of meat, assuming average mass for a snake of that length (17) and estimating butchering efficiency at 33%."

d - "The Agta killed a 6.4-m python in Palanan, Isabela Province, on May 27, 1982, that contained a 14.51-kg pig."

e - "We discarded case number 15 as unsubstantiated, and for the other 19 cases, we extracted, whenever possible, information on snake length, sex of victim, outcome (including in the case of survival, where the victim was struck and how escape was facilitated), mode of attack as ambush or active foraging, and attack site as terrestrial or arboreal".

Source: http://www.pnas.org/content/108/52/E1470.long

I am partially agree about the subsection a, because although there is enough reliable information of females of up to 7 m, I am pretty sure that those specimens of 10 m are based in stories that never present evidence of the kill.

About the subsection b, that average constitute an exaggeration, there is no reliable reports of snakes over 10 m, in fact, read the subsection e, they don't measured directly the snakes, so this average of 6.45 m is unreliable.

Subsections c and d presents two specimens of 6.9 m and 6.4 m. This seems reliable and at least in the first case, a picture is presented and the animal at it is huge.

Based on this specimens, I can state that wild reticulated pythons reach a length of up to 7 m long and probably weighing up to 60 to 75 kg.

Now, check this captive specimen:

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

This is a huge specimen and been quoted by a reputable source, seems reliable. However, it is interesting that this record is not mentioned by Gerard Wood in 1978, and taking in count that no captive specimen, reliable measured in captivity, surpassed the 7.7 m, we most take this record like a grain of salt.

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Indian Python (Python molurus):
The longest Indian python recorded by the Maharaja of Cooch Behar in his book of 1908 was of 17 ft (5183 mm) in length and a weight of 14 stone (88.9 kg):

*This image is copyright of its original author

However, Daniel (2002) and Barker et al. (2012) quotes another record of the Maharaja that was of 5843 mm (19 ft 2 in).

*This image is copyright of its original author

It seems that the Indian python (Python molurus) is a relative long but very bulk species.
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