The Sumatran short-tailed python (''Python curtus''), also called the Sumatra python, is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of the family

Pythonidae The Pythonidae, commonly known as pythons, are a Family (biology), family of Venomous snake, nonvenomous snakes found in Africa, Asia, and Australia. Among its members are some of the largest snakes in the world. Ten Genus, genera and 39 specie ...

, a nonvenomous snake native to

Sumatra Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of islands by area, sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi. ...

Taxonomy

''Python curtus'' was the

scientific name In Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin gramm ...

proposed by

Hermann Schlegel Hermann Schlegel (10 June 1804 – 17 January 1884) was a German ornithologist, herpetologist and ichthyologist. Early life and education Schlegel was born at Altenburg, the son of a brassfounder. His father collected butterflies, which stimulated ...

in 1872 for a python with a short tail from Sumatra. The type locality is Sumatra.McDiarmid, R. W., Campbell, J. A., Touré, T. 1999. Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, vol. 1. Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. (series). (volume). ''

Python brongersmai ''Python brongersmai'' is a species of nonvenomous snake in the family Pythonidae. The species is native to Southeast Asia. Common names Common names for ''P. brongersmai'' include blood python, Brongersma's short-tailed python, Malaysian blo ...

'' and '' P. breitensteini'' were often considered the same species as ''P. curtus'' until confirmed distinct around 2000.

Description

The Sumatran short-tailed python has narrow subocular

scales Scale or scales may refer to: Mathematics * Scale (descriptive set theory), an object defined on a set of points * Scale (ratio), the ratio of a linear dimension of a model to the corresponding dimension of the original * Scale factor, a number ...

between the bottom of the eye and the top of the labial scales. The parietal scales do not join each other. ''P. curtus'' and '' P. breitensteini'' can be distinguished by the frontal and parietal scales on the tops of their heads. In both '' P. brongersmai'' and ''P. breitensteini'', the parietal scales join. Adults grow to in length and are heavily built. The tail is extremely short relative to the overall length. The color pattern consists of a beige, tan, or grayish-brown ground color overlaid with blotches that are reddish in color.Mehrtens, J. M. 1987. Living Snakes of the World in Color. New York: Sterling Publishers. 480 pp. .

Distribution and habitat

The Sumatran short-tailed python occurs in

Riau Archipelago The Riau Archipelago is a ''geographic'' term (as opposed to administrative region) for the core group of islands within the Riau Islands Province in Indonesia, and located south of Singapore and east of Riau on Sumatra. Before the province of Ri ...

Lingga Islands The Lingga Regency () is a group of 600 islands in Indonesia, located south of Singapore and along both sides of the equator, off the eastern coast of Riau Province on Sumatra island. They are due south of the populated Riau Archipelago, known ...

Bangka Island Bangka is an island lying east of Sumatra, Indonesia. It is administered under the province of the Bangka Belitung Islands, being one of its namesakes alongside the smaller island of Belitung across the Gaspar Strait. The 9th largest island in ...

Mentawai Islands Mentawai may refer to: * Mentawai Islands, Indonesia ** Mentawai Strait ** Mentawai people, ethnic group of Indonesia ** Mentawai language, their Austronesian language {{dab Language and nationality disambiguation pages ...

and

Kalimantan Kalimantan (; ) is the Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo. It constitutes 73% of the island's area, and consists of the provinces of Central Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, North Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, and West Kalimantan. The non-Ind ...

. It inhabits

rainforest Rainforests are forests characterized by a closed and continuous tree Canopy (biology), canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforests can be generally classified as tropi ...

marsh In ecology, a marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous plants rather than by woody plants.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p More in genera ...

es, swamps, and the vicinity of river banks and streams.

Behaviour and ecology

The Sumatran short-tailed python feeds on mammals and birds.

Reproduction

The Sumatran short-tailed python is

oviparous Oviparous animals are animals that reproduce by depositing fertilized zygotes outside the body (i.e., by laying or spawning) in metabolically independent incubation organs known as eggs, which nurture the embryo into moving offsprings kno ...

, and females seldom lay more than a dozen large eggs. The female remains coiled around the eggs during the incubation period, and may shiver to produce heat if surrounding temperatures drop below . The hatchlings emerge after 2.5 to 3.0 months and are about long.

Uses

The species is kept as an exotic pet. They are often regarded as unpredictable and aggressive, but captive-bred individuals, with proper husbandry and handling are excellent intermediate level reptiles that tend to be more docile than wild-caught specimens. These animals should only be kept by experienced reptile keepers, they are not a beginner species due to size and handling requirements. The Sumatran short-tailed python has been extensively harvested for

leather Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning (leather), tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffal ...

; an estimated 100,000 individuals are taken for this purpose each year. The commercial trade regards the various populations of ''P. curtus'' and ''P. brongersmai'' as a single species. Authors who elevate particular island populations to species status note that the skins are readily distinguished.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q1344842 Python (genus) Reptiles of Indonesia Reptiles described in 1872 Snakes of Asia