Indian rock python

Identification

The Indian rock python is a very large, heavy snake with smooth scales in more than 60 rows around the middle of the body^1,2. It is grey, whitish or yellowish, with a row of large, roughly square blotches along the back that are sharply outlined in dark brown or black. Smaller blotches run along the sides². The head has a spear-shaped mark on top and a dark band from the eye to the corner of the mouth². Small pits on the front lip scales and tiny claw-like spurs beside the vent are typical of pythons^1,2.

In a study in Keoladeo National Park, India, pythons measured 1.5–4.3 m long³.

Distribution

The Indian rock python lives in Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bangladesh¹. The Reptile Database also lists Bhutan, but notes that the 2021 IUCN assessment excludes Bhutan and Sri Lanka¹. Older works, such as Wall’s 1921 book on the snakes of Ceylon, included Sri Lanka in its range².

The Burmese python of South-East Asia was once treated as a subspecies of this snake. It became a separate species, Python bivittatus, in 2009. Pythons from Thailand and the invasive pythons of Florida belong to that species, not to P. molurus¹.

Habitat

This python lives in many kinds of country, from dense forest to sparse woodland on rocky, low hills. Where there is little forest, it stays close to rivers and marshes². It is very much at home in water and can stay fully under the surface for many minutes².

In Keoladeo National Park, a seasonal wetland in Rajasthan, pythons spend the winter in ground burrows, often shared with Indian porcupines³. Females have nested in a hollow in a termite mound and in an old jackal burrow⁴.

Behaviour

Indian rock pythons are slow, calm snakes. Wall described them as among the most sluggish of snakes, rarely trying to escape and seldom fighting back even when attacked². They swim strongly and can climb trees².

In Keoladeo, pythons stayed within a few metres of their burrows during the cold months and were often seen basking in daylight^3,4. They did not feed in winter, and seemed to rest through the hot, dry months of April to June³. Young pythons in the same park left their nests at night⁴.

Diet

The Indian rock python kills its prey by holding it in its coils and squeezing². It mainly eats mammals³. In Keoladeo, 79% of food items were mammals, 17% birds and 4% reptiles³. Spotted deer were the most common prey, found in about 43% of droppings. Other prey included rhesus macaques, jungle cats, mongooses, rats and Bengal monitor lizards³.

Pythons can go a long time between meals. One kept in Trivandrum (now Thiruvananthapuram) fasted for over a year and still looked healthy².

Reproduction

The Indian rock python lays eggs^2,4. In Keoladeo, a 3.9 m female laid 37 eggs and a 3.3 m female laid 19 eggs⁴. Each female coiled around her eggs and did not eat while guarding them. By shivering, she kept her body at about 32.5 °C even as the air temperature rose and fell⁴.

The females left their nests after 61 days, and the eggs hatched after 74 days. About 95% of the eggs hatched, and the hatchlings were about 60 cm long⁴.

Venom and medical significance

The Indian rock python has no venom and is not dangerous to people who leave it alone². Wall knew of no authentic case of this species swallowing a person².

Like any large snake, it can give a painful bite if caught or handled, and big pythons are very strong. WHO notes that large pythons, mainly the reticulated python of Indonesia, have occasionally attacked people⁵. Anyone bitten should seek medical care.

Conservation

The IUCN Red List classes the Indian rock python as Near Threatened (assessed 2021) because of a likely population decline caused by habitat loss and over-exploitation⁶. In Keoladeo, golden jackals and striped hyenas killed some pythons, others were found dead with porcupine quills in their bodies, and 17% of the dead pythons found had been hit by vehicles³.

In India the species is protected under Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act^4,7. The Indian subspecies is also listed in Appendix I of CITES, which covers international trade in wildlife⁷.

Similar species

The dangerously venomous Russell’s viper (Daboia russelii) also has large, dark-edged blotches on a pale brown body^2,8. The python has smooth scales, while the viper’s scales are strongly keeled and look rough^2,8. The viper’s spots are neat, dark-ringed ovals in three rows; the python’s blotches are larger and squarish, with a spear-shaped mark on the head^2,5,8. Adult pythons are also much bigger and longer^3,8.

These differences are not a safe basis for handling any snake. Russell’s viper is dangerously venomous⁵, so treat every unidentified snake as dangerous.

In captivity

The Indian rock python is one of the most common snakes in zoos and has often been bred in captivity⁴. In India it is protected under Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, and the Indian subspecies is listed in CITES Appendix I⁷. Its large size and strength, together with this legal protection, make it unsuitable as a pet^3,7.