About Python bivittatus Kuhl, 1820
The Burmese python (Python bivittatus Kuhl, 1820) is a dark-colored, non-venomous snake marked with many brown blotches bordered by black running along its back. In the wild, Burmese pythons typically reach 5 m (16 ft), and no confirmed records exist for specimens longer than 7 m (23 ft). This species shows sexual size dimorphism: on average, females are only slightly longer than males, but they are considerably heavier and bulkier than males. Captive length-weight comparisons for individual females show the following measurements: a 3.47 m (11 ft 5 in) specimen weighed 29 kg (64 lb), a specimen just over 4 m (13 ft) weighed 36 kg (79 lb), a 4.5 m (15 ft) specimen weighed 40 kg (88 lb), and a 5 m (16 ft) specimen weighed 75 kg (165 lb). Comparable measurements for captive male Burmese pythons are: a 2.8 m (9 ft 2 in) specimen weighed 12 kg (26 lb), a 2.97 m (9 ft 9 in) specimen weighed 14.5 kg (32 lb), a 3 m (9.8 ft) specimen weighed 7 kg (15 lb), and a 3.05 m (10.0 ft) specimen weighed 18.5 kg (41 lb). In general, Burmese pythons over 5 m (16 ft) are rare. The current verified maximum length record for a Burmese python is 5.79 m (19 ft 0 in), for an individual caught 10 July 2023 in South Florida's Big Cypress National Preserve. Widely published reports of specimens several feet longer than this record have not been verified. At the time of her death around 1999, a captive Burmese python named "Baby" was the heaviest recorded snake in the world, weighing 182.8 kg (403 lb) — far heavier than any wild Burmese python ever measured. Her length was recorded at 5.74 m (18 ft 10 in). The minimum adult size for this species is 2.35 m (7 ft 9 in). Dwarf populations of Burmese pythons live in Java, Bali, and Sulawesi. Dwarf pythons average 2 m (6 ft 7 in) in length in Bali, and reach a maximum length of 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) on Sulawesi. On average, wild adult Burmese pythons are 3.7 m (12 ft) long, and the longest confirmed wild individual reaches 5.79 m (19 ft 0 in).
The Burmese python is native to Southern and Southeast Asia. Its native range covers eastern India, southeastern Nepal, western Bhutan, southeastern Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, northern continental Malaysia, and southern China (specifically Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, and Yunnan). It is also found in Hong Kong, and in Indonesia on Java, southern Sulawesi, Bali, and Sumbawa. It has additionally been reported in Kinmen. Burmese pythons are excellent swimmers, require a permanent source of water, and can stay submerged in water for up to 30 minutes, though they spend most of their time on land. They are also good climbers and have a prehensile tail. Their natural habitats include grasslands, marshes, swamps, rocky foothills, woodlands, river valleys, and jungles with open clearings.
