The Southern African rock python (''Python natalensis'') is a large

python Python may refer to: Snakes * Pythonidae, a family of nonvenomous snakes found in Africa, Asia, and Australia ** ''Python'' (genus), a genus of Pythonidae found in Africa and Asia * Python (mythology), a mythical serpent Computing * Python (prog ...

species native to

Southern Africa Southern Africa is the southernmost region of Africa. No definition is agreed upon, but some groupings include the United Nations geoscheme for Africa, United Nations geoscheme, the intergovernmental Southern African Development Community, and ...

inhabiting

savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...

and woodland. It was first described by Andrew Smith in 1833. Growing a length of more than , this is one of the largest snakes in the world.

Description

The Southern African rock python has a colouration that is similar to its northern relative, however it is described as being "drabber". Below the light stripe on both snakes' head, the southern species has a narrower dark patch that resembles a stripe instead of a patch. The

Central African rock python The Central African rock python (''Python sebae'') is a species of large constrictor snake in the family Pythonidae. The species is native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of 10 living species in the genus ''Python''. Africa's largest snake and ...

(''Python sebae'') has two prominent light lines from the nose, over the eye to the back of the head, which are much duller in the Southern African rock python. The northern species has considerably larger head scales. It is also noticeably inferior in size to size the Central African rock python.

Size

The Southern African rock python reaches an average length of between . Individuals longer than are rare. Regarding body length and mass, this species exhibits

sexual dimorphism Sexual dimorphism is the condition where sexes of the same species exhibit different Morphology (biology), morphological characteristics, including characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most dioecy, di ...

, as females are significantly larger and heavier than males. Of 75 individuals measured in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

the longest female was long and weighed . The largest male was long and weighed . There is one reliable record of a living specimen reaching . The longest South African python measured , recorded in the former

Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name ''Transvaal''. * South African Republic (1856–1902; ...

In culture

In ''Where Men Still Dream'', the South African journalist and author Lawrence G. Green speculates that the legend of the

Grootslang The Grootslang or Grote Slang (Afrikaans and Dutch for "big snake") is a legendary creature that is reputed to dwell in a deep cave in the Richtersveld, South Africa. Appearance The Grootslang is described as being in length, and to leave a tra ...

, a mythical being in South African prospector folklore resembling a giant serpent and said to live in the

Orange River The Orange River (from Afrikaans/Dutch language, Dutch: ''Oranjerivier'') is a river in Southern Africa. It is the longest river in South Africa. With a total length of , the Orange River Basin extends from Lesotho into South Africa and Namibi ...

, most likely originated from sightings of unusually large rock pythons in the river, which were exaggerated into descriptions of a monstrous being.

References

{{taxonbar, from1=Q21401262, from2=Q2063213 Python (genus) Reptiles described in 1833 Snakes of Africa Apex predators