Feeding

It prefers warm-blooded prey such as small deers, rodent, pigs, dogs, mongoose, civets. Birds and lizards are also included in their diet. Pythons kill by constriction in which the animal dies by suffocating. The python bites the prey first and instantly throws its coils around the prey's midsection. The coils tighten each time the prey exhales. This action prevents the heart from beating and thus the prey from inhaling further. (See jaw dislocation and swallowing)

Breeding

Most snakes mate once a year, usually timing it so that the young will emerge when it is warm and prey is abundant. The mating period lasts from April till October. The male usually searches for the female when he is ready to mate. Snakes find mates by the pheromones emitted. When he finds a female who is also ready to mate, he aligns himself next to or on top of her, jerking spasmodically, tapping her with his head, flicking his tongue, his tail moving actively near hers. Males with spurs may stroke and vibrate these against the female. If she is receptive, she will lift her tail and he will twist his underneath so that their cloaca meet. Young short females have been known to lay 15 to 20 eggs. A record clutch of 124 eggs has been recorded. The nesting sites may be similar to the resting The eggs stick together in a mass. Females may coil around their eggs but they can't "shiver" to raise the temperature of the eggs, unlike other large pythons. The eggs hatch in fifty-five to eighty days, producing hatchlings 60 to 70 cm long. Incubation takes approximately 3 months. Newborns are aggressive and capable of hunting and defending themselves.

Adaptations for Nocturnal Activity

Tongue & Jacobson's organs

Smell is the most important sense of the snake Although the nose still analyzes smell, snakes have their sense of smell further refined through the use of their tongue and Jacobson's organs. Jacobson's organs are specialized sense organs, which can found only in snakes and certain groups of lizards. The structure of the organ consists of a pair of sacs, which are lined with sensory cells. It is situated in the front palate of the mouth. The sacs open to the roof of the mouth via a pair of narrow ducts. The inner ends are connected to a separate branch of olfactory nerve. The snake will flick its tongue through a notch in the upper jaw known as rostral groove (lingual fossa). The tongue picks up scents in the form of airborne molecules and is then withdrawn into the mouth. The twin tips of forked tongue inserted into the opening ducts of Jacobson's organs. When the tongue is not in use, it is rested in a fleshy sheath on the floor of the mouth. The tongue has no taste buds and is not used to aid the snake to swallow its prey. Instead, the taste buds are located near the teeth. Tasting is activated only when prey is in mouth.

Heat-sensitive pits

The reticulated python has 4 sets of such pits located above the mouth between the eyes and the nostrils. They map out the 'image' of size & shape of the prey and the distance of the prey to enable the python to strike at warm-blooded prey in the dark.

This snake is widespread throughout its range but diminishing. Hundreds of thousands of reticulated pythons are killed for their skins each year. They are also hunted for their blood drinking and gall bladder removal. When encountered in its natural state by humans this snake is almost always killed. Rapid growth rate, early maturation and high fecundity are the only things keeping this snake around .

Hearing

Contrary to the common belief that snakes are deaf because they lack the external and middle ears, snakes do 'hear ' by way of vibrations created by airborne sounds.

Sight

Although the organs of sight are not very efficient, the python's eyesight is best at detecting movements and not stationary objects.

Jaw dislocation

A snake's jaws are only loosely joined to its skull by ligaments.The jaws act as one solid structure during the bite but when it's time to swallow the lower jaw dislocates from the upper jaw, allowing snakes to open their jaw up to 150 degrees. The front portion of the lower jaws separate and swing apart. The snake resets its jaws by yawning-like movements.

Swallowing

Large prey is swallowed head first because the fur and limbs of the animals fold easily in this direction. The python opens its mouth and grips as much of the head as possible. It then hooks its teeth on one side of its jaws into the prey and moves the opposite jaw forward. Pythons have a double row of teeth on the upper jaw to help grip the prey as it "walks" over it. By moving the jaws forward in turn, the food is pulled into the mouth. When the preys fill the mouth completely, the snake pushes the anterior part of its muscular glottis forward. This is opened during the swallowing in order to maintain the passage for air. Once the food has entered the throat, the snake may speed up the process by muscular contraction of the gullet and then, stomach. After swallowing the python often stretch its mouth and "yawn" in order to manipulate the jawbones into their normal positions.

The python exhibit shows off numerous retics of varying sizes.The snakes are very well camouflaged by the logs and rocks and the visitors are challenged into spotting them. One can often find fresh python slough amongst the branches.

In the last week on May 2000, the largest retic in the exhibit surprised the Rangers with a clutch of eggs. Several were bad and she had pushed them out of her brood. The Rangers manage to count a total of 35 eggs as being laid.