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Burmese Pythons Burmese Pythons Name:​ Sunshine Age:​ About 23 years old Current Location:​ Inside the Wildlife Hall Diet: ​Large Rodents once every 2-3 weeks Size:​ About 100 pounds Name:​ Spot Age:​ Unknown but we estimate that she’s over 25 years old Current Location:​ Inside the Wildlife Hall Diet: ​Large Rodents about once every 2-3 weeks Size:​ About 180 pounds Burmese Python Facts ● Burmese Pythons are the 3rd largest snake in the world! Only Anacondas and Reticulated Pythons grow larger than them. ● They are native to southeast Asia and can be found in southern China, Burma, Indochina, Thailand, and the Malay Archipelago ● They primarily live in rainforests, but can also be found in marshes, swamps, and grasslands. They live in areas where there is a permanent water source. ● Female pythons get to be larger than males, which is true of many species of snakes! ● Female pythons lay an average of 35 eggs, but can lay as many as 100! Unlike other snakes, they coil around their eggs to incubate them. They can actually raise the temperature beneath their coils by as much as 7 degrees by muscle spasms. ● They are non-Venomous species; Instead they kill their prey by constriction. Visit us at Http://www.Uticazoo.org/kazoo . ​ ​ Mission: Utica Zoo creates unique experiences and promotes public appreciation of wildlife through education, conservation and recreation. Conservation Message IUCN Status: ​Vulnerable There are different conservation issues about the Burmese Python depending on where they are located! In its native habitat, pythons are often killed for their skin, meat, or simply because they are a snake. Although many are fearful of snakes because of the way that they look or act, it’s important to remember that snakes play an important role in their ecosystem. They primarily eat rodents and help prevent mice infestations on farms and in gardens. Having a snake in your backyard could deter mice from coming into your home! In many states in our country, including New York, it is illegal to own or house Burmese Pythons without proper permits. Burmese Pythons can grow to be very large in size, making it difficult to properly house them. Many years ago, people would try to construct their own cages or sometimes even convert a room or closet into a home for their python, but oftentimes they would escape. Snakes need to be contained properly because they have very strong muscles; Even without arms or legs, they can easily push open a terrarium lid if it’s not secure! In addition, many people released their pet snakes into the wild when they could no longer care for them. Our Burmese Python, Spot, was actually found on someone’s property in upstate New York! Chances are she was released intentionally or escaped from her previous home. However, if she was not captured and moved to the Utica Zoo, she would likely not have survived our harsh winter weather. In Florida, Burmese Pythons are an incredibly destructive invasive species in the Everglades. Invasive species are animals that are introduced to an ecosystem outside of their native range. The warmer climate allows them to survive all year round and the wetland habitat is very similar to the type of habitat they would occupy in Asia. In addition to adequate temperature, there’s also a lot of available prey and no predators that can successfully hunt them. As a result, many of the animals that the pythons are preying upon are becoming threatened. .
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