Python anchietae
Species of snake
Python anchietae (with common names Angolan python and Anchieta's dwarf python) is a python species endemic to southern Africa. According to Donald George Broadley (1990), this species is most closely related to the ball python (P. regius) of western Africa, and no subspecies are currently recognized. It is named after the Portuguese naturalist and explorer José Alberto de Oliveira Anchieta. Like all other pythons, it is not venomous.
01Description
Python anchietae may grow up to 183 cm (6 ft) in total length (including tail). The color pattern is a reddish-brown to brown to almost black ground, overlaid with irregular white or cream-colored bands and spots. The belly is yellowish. A rare species seldom seen in the wild or in captivity, it is the only python to have "bead-like" head scales. It has heat sensitive pits, five on each side of the head, on the upper lip. The smooth dorsal scales are arranged in 57-61 rows.
02Distribution and habitat
Python anchietae is found in Africa in southern Angola and northern Namibia. The type locality given is "Catumbella [Catumbela]" near Lobito, Angola. Habitats are rocky outcrops or areas strewn with rocks in open brush or grassland. Diurnal, they shelter in small caves, overhangs and crevices.
03Behaviour and biology
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Python anchietae”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Angolan Dwarf Python (Python anchietae).jpg by Tigerpython, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Angolan Dwarf Python (Python anchietae) Twins.jpg by Tigerpython, CC BY-SA 3.0
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