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Python (genus)
Genus of snakes

Python is a genus of constricting snakes in the Pythonidae family, native to the tropics and subtropics of the Eastern Hemisphere. The term python was introduced by François Marie Daudin in 1803 to describe these non-venomous flecked snakes. Today, there are 10 recognized species considered valid taxa. Additionally, three former subspecies have been elevated in status, and a new species has been identified, reflecting ongoing developments in python classification.

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Taxonomy

The generic name Python was proposed by François Marie Daudin in 1803 for non-venomous snakes with a flecked skin and a long split tongue.4

In 1993, seven python species were recognized as valid taxa.5 On the basis of phylogenetic analyses, between seven and 13 python species are recognized.67

SpeciesImageIUCN Red List and geographic range
Indian python (P. molurus; Linnaeus, 1758)8NT9
Central African rock python (P. sebae; Gmelin, 1788)10NT11Range shown in green
Ball python (P. regius; Shaw, 1802)12NT13
Burmese python (P. bivittatus; Kuhl, 1820)14VU15
Southern African rock python (P. natalensis; Smith, 1833)16LC17Range shown in orange
Sumatran short-tailed python (P. curtus; Schlegel, 1872)18LC19Range shown in yellow
Bornean python (P. breitensteini; Steindachner, 1881)20LC21Range shown in green
Angolan python (P. anchietae; Bocage, 1887)LC2223
Blood python (P. brongersmai; Stull, 1938) (formerly P. curtus brongersmai)LC24Range shown in red
Myanmar short-tailed python (P. kyaiktiyo; Zug, Gotte & Jacobs, 2011)25VU26West of the Tenasserim Hills, Myanmar27
† European python (Python europaeus; Szyndlar & Rage, 2003)28EX

Extinct species known from the discovery of a trunk vertebrae dated to the Miocene epoch, found in Vieux-Collonges and La Grive-Saint-Alban, France.29

Distribution and habitat

In Africa, pythons are native to the tropics south of the Sahara, but not in the extreme south-western tip of southern Africa (Western Cape) or in Madagascar. In Asia, they occur from Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, including the Nicobar Islands, through Myanmar, east to Indochina, southern China, Hong Kong and Hainan, as well as in the Malayan region of Indonesia and the Philippines.30

Invasive

Some suggest that P. bivittatus and P. sebae have the potential to be problematic invasive species in South Florida.31 In early 2016, after a culling operation yielded 106 pythons, Everglades National Park officials suggested that "thousands" may live within the park, and that the species has been breeding there for some years. More recent data suggest that these pythons would not withstand winter climates north of Florida, contradicting previous research suggesting a more significant geographic potential range.32

Uses

Python skin is used to make clothing, such as vests, belts, boots and shoes, or fashion accessories such as handbags. It may also be stretched and formed as the sound board of some string musical instruments, such as the erhu spike-fiddle, sanxian and the sanshin lutes.33 With a high demand of snake skin in the current fashion industry, countries in Africa and Southern Asia partake in the legal and illegal selling of python skin. Providing an extremely low pay for the hunters with an extremely high selling product for the consumers, there is an enormous gap between the beginning and end of the snake skin trade.34

As pets

Many Python species, such as P. regius, P. brongersmai, P. bivittatus and M. reticulatus, are popular to keep as pets due to their ease of care, docile temperament, and vibrant colors, with some rare mutations having been sold for several thousands of dollars. Pythons in the pet trade are sourced from the wild, or from captive females that were taken from the wild ('captive-born'), or from parents that themselves were born in a captive setting ('captive-bred')35 Despite controversy that has arisen from media reports, with proper safety procedures pet pythons are relatively safe to own.3637

Etymology

The word 'Python' is derived from the Latin word 'pȳthon' and the Greek word 'πύθων', both referring to the "serpent slain, who was fabled to have been called Pythius in commemoration of his victory near Delphi by Apollo according to the myth".38

Wikispecies has information related to Python (genus). Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Python (genus) (category) Wikisource has the text of a 1920 Encyclopedia Americana article about Python (genus).

References

  1. McDiarmid, R. W.; Campbell, J. A.; Touré, T. (1999). "Python". Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. Volume 1. Washington, DC: Herpetologists' League. ISBN 1893777014. 1893777014 ↩

  2. Daudin, F. M. (1803). "Python". Histoire naturelle, générale et particulière, des reptiles. Tome 8. Paris: De l'Imprimerie de F. Dufart. p. 384. https://archive.org/details/histoirenaturel181802daud/page/384 ↩

  3. Barker, D. G.; Barker, T. M.; Davis, M. A.; Schuett, G. W. (2015). "A review of the systematics and taxonomy of Pythonidae: an ancient serpent lineage". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 175 (1): 1−19. doi:10.1111/zoj.12267. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/274892692 ↩

  4. Daudin, F. M. (1803). "Python". Histoire naturelle, générale et particulière, des reptiles. Tome 8. Paris: De l'Imprimerie de F. Dufart. p. 384. https://archive.org/details/histoirenaturel181802daud/page/384 ↩

  5. Kluge, A. G. (1993). "Aspidites and the phylogeny of pythonine snakes". Records of the Australian Museum (Supplement 19): 1–77. ↩

  6. Lawson, R.; Slowinski, J. B.; Burbrink, F. T. (2004). "A molecular approach to discerning the phylogenetic placement of the enigmatic snake Xenophidion schaeferi among the Alethinophidia". Journal of Zoology. 263 (3): 285–294. doi:10.1017/s0952836904005278. /wiki/Doi_(identifier) ↩

  7. Reynolds, R. G.; Niemiller, M. L.; Revell, L. J. (2014). "Toward a tree-of-life for the boas and pythons: multilocus species-level phylogeny with unprecedented taxon sampling". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 71 (71): 201–213. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2013.11.011. PMID 24315866. /wiki/Doi_(identifier) ↩

  8. Linnaeus, C. (1758). "Coluber molurus". Systema naturae per regna tria naturae: secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Vol. 1 (Tenth reformed ed.). Holmiae: Laurentii Salvii. p. 225. https://archive.org/details/carolilinnisys00linn/page/225 ↩

  9. Aengals, A.; Das, A.; Mohapatra, P.; Srinivasulu, C.; Srinivasulu, B.; Shankar, G. & Murthy, B.H.C. (2021). "Python molurus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T58894358A1945283. Retrieved 2 December 2021. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/58894358/1945283 ↩

  10. Gmelin, J. F. (1788). "Coluber sebae". Caroli a Linné. Systema naturae per regna tria naturae: secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Vol. I, Part III (13., aucta, reformata ed.). Lipsiae: Georg Emanuel Beer. p. 1118. https://archive.org/details/carolilinns01linn/page/1118 ↩

  11. Alexander, G.J.; Tolley, K.A.; Penner, J.; Luiselli, L.; Jallow, M.; Segniagbeto, G.; Niagate, B.; Howell, K.; Beraduccii, J.; Msuya, C.A. & Ngalason, W. (2021). "Python sebae". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T13300572A13300582. Retrieved 2 December 2021. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/13300572/13300582 ↩

  12. Shaw, G. (1802). "Royal Boa". General zoology, or Systematic natural history. Volume III, Part II. London: G. Kearsley. pp. 347–348. https://archive.org/details/generalzoology3121802shaw/page/n561 ↩

  13. D'Cruze, N.; Wilms, T.; Penner, J.; Luiselli, L.; Jallow, M.; Segniagbeto, G.; Niagate, B. & Schmitz, A. (2021). "Python regius". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T177562A15340592. Retrieved 2 December 2021. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/177562/15340592 ↩

  14. Kuhl, H. (1820). "Python bivittatus mihi". Beiträge zur Zoologie und vergleichenden Anatomie. Frankfurt am Main: Verlag der Hermannschen Buchhandlung. p. 94. https://archive.org/details/beitrgezurzool00kuhl/page/n107 ↩

  15. Stuart, B.; Nguyen, T.Q.; Thy, N.; Grismer, L.; Chan-Ard, T.; Iskandar, D.; Golynsky, E. & Lau, M.W. (2019) [errata version of 2019 assessment]. "Python bivittatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T193451A151341916. Retrieved 6 April 2021. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/193451/151341916 ↩

  16. Smith, A. (1849). "Python natalensis". Illustrations of the zoology of South Africa : consisting chiefly of figures and descriptions of the objects of natural history collected during an expedition into the interior of South Africa, in the years 1834, 1835, and 1836; fitted out by "the Cape of Good Hope Association for exploring Central Africa" : together with a summary of African zoology, and an inquiry into the geographical ranges of species in that quarter of the globe. London: Smith, Elder and Co. pp. 42–44. https://archive.org/details/illustrationszo00smite/page/n41/mode/2up ↩

  17. Alexander, G.J. & Tolley, K.A. (2021). "Python natalensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T13300560A13300564. Retrieved 19 April 2022. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/13300560/13300564 ↩

  18. Schlegel, H. (1872). "De Pythons". In Witkamp, P. H. (ed.). De Diergaarde van het Koninklijk Zoölogisch Genootschap Natura Artis Magistra te Amsterdam: De Kruipende Dieren. Amsterdam: Van Es. pp. 53–54. https://archive.org/details/dedierentuinvanh00schl/page/54 ↩

  19. Inger, R.F.; Iskandar, D.; Lilley, R.; Jenkins, H. & Das, I. (2014). "Python curtus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2014: e.T192244A2060581. Retrieved 2 December 2021. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/192244/2060581 ↩

  20. Steindachner, F. (1880). "Über eine neue Pythonart (Python breitensteini) aus Borneo". Sitzungsberichte der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften Wien. 82: 267−280. ↩

  21. Inger, R.F.; Iskandar, D.; Lilley, R.; Jenkins, H.; Das, I. (2012). "Python breitensteini". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012: e.T192013A2028005. Retrieved 2 December 2021. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/192013/2028005 ↩

  22. Baptista, N.; Becker, F.; Conradie, W.; Bauer, A.M. & Ceríaco, L.M.P. (2021). "Python anchietae". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T177539A120594491. Retrieved 2 December 2021. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/177539/120594491 ↩

  23. Baptista, N.; Becker, F.; Conradie, W.; Bauer, A.M. & Ceríaco, L.M.P. (2021). "Python anchietae". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T177539A120594491. Retrieved 2 December 2021. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/177539/120594491 ↩

  24. Grismer, L. & Chan-Ard, T. (2012). "Python brongersmai". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012: e.T192169A2050353. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2012-1.RLTS.T192169A2050353.en. Retrieved 13 March 2018. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/192169/2050353 ↩

  25. Zug, G. R.; Gotte, S. W.; Jacobs, J. F. (2011). "Pythons in Burma: Short-tailed python (Reptilia: Squamata)". Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 124 (2): 112−136. doi:10.2988/10-34.1. S2CID 86424371. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232683390 ↩

  26. Wogan, G. & Chan-Ard, T. (2012). "Python kyaiktiyo". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012: e.T199854A2614411. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2012-1.RLTS.T199854A2614411.en. Retrieved 13 March 2018. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/199854/2614411 ↩

  27. Wogan, G. & Chan-Ard, T. (2012). "Python kyaiktiyo". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012: e.T199854A2614411. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2012-1.RLTS.T199854A2614411.en. Retrieved 13 March 2018. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/199854/2614411 ↩

  28. Szyndlar, Z.; Rage, J. C. (2003). "Python europaeus". Non-erycine Booidea from the Oligocene and Miocene of Europe. Kraków: Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals. pp. 68−72. ↩

  29. Szyndlar, Z.; Rage, J. C. (2003). "Python europaeus". Non-erycine Booidea from the Oligocene and Miocene of Europe. Kraków: Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals. pp. 68−72. ↩

  30. McDiarmid, R. W.; Campbell, J. A.; Touré, T. (1999). "Python". Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. Volume 1. Washington, DC: Herpetologists' League. ISBN 1893777014. 1893777014 ↩

  31. "Python Snakes, An Invasive Species In Florida, Could Spread To One Third Of US". ScienceDaily. 2008. Retrieved 2017-08-01. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080223111456.htm ↩

  32. Avery, M. L.; Engeman, R. M.; Keacher, K. L.; Humphrey, J. S.; Bruce, W. E.; Mathies, T. C.; Mauldin, R. E. (2010). "Cold weather and the potential range of invasive Burmese pythons". Biological Invasions. 12 (11): 3649−3652. doi:10.1007/s10530-010-9761-4. S2CID 2060365. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1859&context=icwdm_usdanwrc ↩

  33. "About Sanshin: Introduction to the asian banjo - the Okinawan sanshin". Archived from the original on 2016-08-21. Retrieved 2015-04-08. https://web.archive.org/web/20160821200923/http://www.asovivasanshin.com/introduction.html ↩

  34. Wahab; Maulany, R. I.; Nasri & Nirsyawita (2020). "Hunting and trading activities of reticulated python (Python reticulatus) in South Sulawesi, Indonesia: A report from the field". IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science. 486 (1): 12029–. Bibcode:2020E&ES..486a2029W. doi:10.1088/1755-1315/486/1/012029. S2CID 219739375. https://doi.org/10.1088%2F1755-1315%2F486%2F1%2F012029 ↩

  35. Nijman, Vincent (2022-11-05). "Harvest quotas, free markets and the sustainable trade in pythons". Nature Conservation. 48: 99–121. doi:10.3897/natureconservation.48.80988. ISSN 1314-3301. S2CID 248733239. https://natureconservation.pensoft.net/article/80988/ ↩

  36. "Malayopython reticulatus". http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Malayopython&species=reticulatus ↩

  37. "Playing with the Big Boys: Handling Large Constrictors". www.anapsid.org. Retrieved 2017-08-01. http://www.anapsid.org/handling.html ↩

  38. Lewis, C. T.; Short, C. (1879). "Pȳthon". A Latin Dictionary. Oxford: Clarendon Press. https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0059%3Aentry%3DPython ↩