The rough-scaled python (''Morelia carinata'') is a large-scaled python

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...

to Australia. No subspecies are currently recognized.

Description

The rough-scaled python is able to grow to around in total length. It has a triangular-shaped head with a conspicuous constriction at the neck area. ''M. carinata'' is distinguished by the presence of a large

parietal scale Parietal scale refers to the scales of a snake which are on the head of the snake and are connected to the frontals towards the posterior. These scales are analogous to and take their name from the parietal bone which forms the roof and sides of ...

and by having distinct keeled dorsal scales. The body is slim and muscular. The color pattern is light honey-tan with darker reddish-brown markings or dark brown with pale brown blotches. The blotches become larger toward the tail, so the pattern appears to be reversed. The belly is white, possibly with black spots. The markings are thought to assist in providing

camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the b ...

. The wrinkled to corrugated scales also assist the snake in climbing up sandstone and crevices. The species was first formally identified by biologist L.A. Smith in 1981 as part of the work ''A revision of the python genera Aspidites and Python (Serpentes: Boidae) in Western Australia'' as published in the ''Records of the Western Australian Museum''.

Captivity

They are now available to private owners, originating from a few wild-caught specimens, as they were found to breed readily in captivity. Three males and two females were collected and transferred to the

Australian Reptile Park The Australian Reptile Park is located at Somersby on the Central Coast, New South Wales in Australia. It is about north of Sydney, and is just off the M1 Pacific Motorway. The Park has one of the largest reptile collections in Australia, wi ...

in 2000 and had produced 71 offspring by 2012. These, in turn, had produced another offspring.

Distribution and habitat

These snakes are found in Australia, in northwestern

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to ...

in the lower sections of the Mitchell and Hunter Rivers, just inland from the coast. The

type locality Type locality may refer to: * Type locality (biology) * Type locality (geology) See also * Local (disambiguation) * Locality (disambiguation) {{disambiguation ...

given is " Mitchell River Falls, Western Australia (14°50'S, 125°42'E)" ustralia They are found in rocky

valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...

s of

Kimberley Kimberly or Kimberley may refer to: Places and historical events Australia * Kimberley (Western Australia) ** Roman Catholic Diocese of Kimberley * Kimberley Warm Springs, Tasmania * Kimberley, Tasmania a small town * County of Kimberley, a ...

region in far northern Western Australia, where they climb on low trees and shrubs of monsoon

rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfo ...

. The species has one of the smallest distributions of any snake. They are present in the

Charnley River–Artesian Range Wildlife Sanctuary Charnley River–Artesian Range Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area covering about in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. It is situated about east of Derby and north west of Halls Creek, and is accessed via the Gibb River Road. ...

in the Kimberley region. The species is often associated with fruit-bearing trees, possibly indicating a preference of ambush sites for

herbivorous A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example foliage or marine algae, for the main component of its diet. As a result of their plant diet, herbivorous animals typically have mouthpart ...

animals, and also close to permanent fresh water.

Behavior

So far, they are reported to be strictly

crepuscular In zoology, a crepuscular animal is one that is active primarily during the twilight period, being matutinal, vespertine, or both. This is distinguished from diurnal and nocturnal behavior, where an animal is active during the hours of dayli ...

. Their temperament is quite docile with rarely any attempts to bite.

Reproduction

This species is confirmed to be an egg-layer (

oviparous Oviparous animals are animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive method of most fish, amphibians, most reptiles, and all pterosaurs, dinosaurs (including birds), a ...

) like other

pythons The Pythonidae, commonly known as pythons, are a family of nonvenomous snakes found in Africa, Asia, and Australia. Among its members are some of the largest snakes in the world. Ten genera and 42 species are currently recognized. Distributio ...

. The mating season is between July and August. Females usually lay around ten eggs and coils about them providing warmth until they hatch. Once the eggs do hatch the female does not take care of the young.

Media

This species was only filmed for the first time by wildlife conservationist Malcolm Douglas, and shown on his ''Kimberley Adventure'' Part 1. (1997)

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q1541179 Morelia (snake) Reptiles described in 1981 Reptiles of Western Australia Snakes of Australia