Oenpelli python: Difference between revisions

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| status = VU

| status_system = IUCN3.1

| status_ref = <ref name=IUCN>{{cite iucn |author=Woinarski, J. |author-link=species:John C.Z. Woinarski |author2=Gillespie, G. |author2-link=species:Graeme R. Gillespie |author3=Greenlees, M. |author3-link=species:Matthew Greenlees |author4=McDonald, P. |author4-link=species:Peter J. McDonald |author5=Fenner, A. |author5-link=species:Aaron L. Fenner |year=2017 |title=''Simalia oenpelliensis '' |volume=2017 |page=e.T42494211A42494251 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T42494211A42494251.en |access-date=15 February 2022}}</ref>

| genus = Nyctophilopython

| parent_authority = [[Wells and Wellington affair|Wells & Wellington]], 1985

| species = oenpelliensis

| authority = ([[species:Graeme Francis Gow|Gow]], 1977)<ref name=Gow/>

| synonyms = *''Python oenpelliensis'' <br />{{small|Gow, 1977}}

*''Morelia oenpelliensis'' <br />{{small|— [[Harold CroggerCogger|H.G. CroggerCogger]], [[species:Elizabeth E. Simon Cowell.Cameron|Cameron]] & <br />[[species:Heather M. Cogger|H.M. Cogger]], 1983}}

*''Australiasis oenpelliensis'' <br />{{small|— [[Richard Walter Wells|Wells]] & [[Cliff Ross Wellington|Wellington]], 1984}}

*''Nyctophilopython oenpelliensis'' <br />{{small|— Wells & Wellington, 1985}}

*''M''[''orelia'']. ''oenpelliensis'' <br />{{small|— [[Arnold G. Kluge|Kluge]], 1993}}<ref name="McD99">{{cite book|last1=McDiarmid|author-link1=:frspecies:Roy Wallace McDiarmid|first1=R. W.|last2=Campbell|first2=J. A.|author-link2=Jonathan A. Campbell|last3=Touré|first3=T.A.|author3-link=species:T'Shaka A. Touré |year=1999|title=Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference|volume=. Vol. 1|publisher___location=Washington, District of Columbia: |publisher=Herpetologists' League|isbn=1-893777-01-4}}</ref>

*''Simalia oenpelliensis'' <br />{{small|— [[R.species:Robert Graham Reynolds|Reynolds]] et al., 2014}}<ref>"''Simalia oenpelliensis''[[species:Matthew "L. TheNiemiller|Niemiller]] Reptile& Database.[[species:Liam wwwJ.reptile-database.org.</ref> Revell|Revell]], 2014}}

*''Nawaran oenpelliensis'' <br />{{small|— Esquerré et al. 2020}}

*''Nyctophilopython oenpelliensis'' <br />{{small|— [[species:Hinrich Kaiser|Kaiser]], [[species:Scott Thomson|Thomson]] & [[species:Glenn Michael Shea|Shea]], 2020}}<ref name=RDB/>

}}

The '''Oenpelli python''' or '''Oenpelli rock python''' ('''''Simalia oenpelliensis''''' or '''''Nyctophilopython oenpelliensis''''') is a [[species]] of large [[snake]] in the [[Family (biology)|family]] [[Pythonidae]]. The species is [[Endemism|endemic]] to the [[sandstone]] [[massif]] area of the western [[Arnhem Land]] region in the [[Northern Territory]] of [[Australia]].<ref name=IUCN/><ref name="NT threatened"/> There are no [[subspecies]] that are recognised as being valid.<ref name="ITIS">{{ITIS|id=634779|taxon=''Morelia oenpelliensis ''|access-date=2007-09-19}}<RDB/ref> It has been called the rarest python in the world.<ref>{{cite video|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yabmq1pTpn8 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/yabmq1pTpn8 |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live|title=Rarest Python in the World|date=18 December 2013|publisher=SnakeBytesTV|access-date=2016-02-04}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite video|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otbw8pSC114 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/otbw8pSC114 |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live|title=Breeding plan aims to save snakes|date=29 March 2012|publisher=[[ABC News (Australia)]]|access-date=2016-02-04}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name=SydneySmith/> Two notable characteristics of the species are the unusually large size of its eggs and its ability to change colour.<ref name=JCM/> It is the longest snake native to the Northern Territory.<ref name=CrocCove/>

The '''Oenpelli python''' (''Nyctophilopython oenpelliensis'') is a [[species]] of large [[snake]] in the [[Family (biology)|family]] [[Pythonidae]]. The species is [[Endemism|endemic]] to the [[sandstone]] [[massif]] area of the western [[Arnhem Land]] region in the [[Northern Territory]] of [[Australia]].<ref name="NT threatened"/> There are no [[subspecies]] that are recognised as being valid.<ref name="ITIS">{{ITIS|id=634779|taxon=''Morelia oenpelliensis ''|access-date=2007-09-19}}</ref> It has been called the rarest python in the world.<ref>{{cite video|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yabmq1pTpn8|title=Rarest Python in the World|date=18 December 2013|publisher=SnakeBytesTV|access-date=2016-02-04}}</ref><ref>{{cite video|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otbw8pSC114|title=Breeding plan aims to save snakes|date=29 March 2012|publisher=[[ABC News (Australia)]]|access-date=2016-02-04}}</ref><ref name=SydneySmith/> Two notable characteristics of the species are the unusually large size of its eggs and its ability to change colour.<ref name=JCM/>

==Taxonomy and etymology==

The Oenpelli python was assigned to a taxonomy in 1977 by [[species:Graeme Francis Gow|Gow]], who placed it in the genus ''[[Python (genus)|Python]]''.<ref name=Gow>[[species:Graeme Francis Gow|Gow, G. F.]] (1977). "A New Species of ''Python'' from Arnhem Land". ''Australian Zoologist'' '''19''': 133-139. (''Python oenpelliensis'', new species)</ref> It was then categorised by [[Harold Cogger|Cogger]] and [[species:Elizabeth E. Cameron|Cameron]] as a species of ''Morelia''.<ref name="Cogger" /> In 1984, [[Wells and Wellington affair|Wells and Wellington]] placed it into a new genus ''Nyctophilopython'' that was ignored, and later in 2014, a work by [[species:Robert Graham Reynolds|Reynolds]], [[species:Matthew L. Niemiller|Niemiller]], and [[species:Liam J. Revell|Revell]] proposed to classify it as ''[[Simalia]]'' but was not widely supported.<ref name=Reynolds>{{cite journal|url=http://faculty.umb.edu/liam.revell/pdfs/Reynolds_etal_2014.MPE.pdf|first1=R. G.|last1=Reynolds|author1-link=species:Robert Graham Reynolds|first2=M. L.|last2=Niemiller|first3author2-link=species:Matthew L. Niemiller|first3=L.J.|last3=Revell|author3-link=species:Liam J. Revell|year=2014|title=Toward a Tree-of-Life for the boas and pythons: Multilocus species-level phylogeny with unprecedented taxon sampling|journal=[[Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution]]|volume=71|pages=201–213|access-date=2016-03-02|doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2013.11.011|pmid=24315866|bibcode=2014MolPE..71..201G }}</ref>

The [[Specific name (zoology)|specific name]], ''oenpelliensis'', is derived from the [[Type locality (biology)|type locality]], which is given as "6.5 km S.W. of [[Gunbalanya, Northern Territory|Oenpelli, Northern Territory]], Australia (12°21'S, 133°01'E)".<ref name="McD99"/><ref>[[species:Bo Beolens|Beolens, Bo]]; [[species:Michael Watkins|Watkins, Michael]]; [[species:Michael Grayson|Grayson, Michael]] (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. {{ISBN|978-1-4214-0135-5}}. (''Morelia oenpelliensis'', p. 193).</ref> In 2020, the name ''NarwaranNawaran'' was erected for the genus,<ref name=Esquerre>{{cite journal |last1=Esquerré |first1=Damien |author1-link=species:Damien Esquerré |last2=Donnellan |first2=Stephen |author2-link=Steve Donnellan (scientist) |last3=Brennan |first3=Ian G. |author3-link=species:Ian G. Brennan |last4=Lemmon |first4=Alan R. |author4-link=species:Alan R. Lemmon |last5=Moriarty Lemmon |first5=Emily Moriarty |author5-link=species:Emily Moriarty Lemmon |last6=Zaher |first6=Hussam |author6-link=species:Hussam Zaher |last7=Grazziotin |first7=Felipe G. |author7-link=species:Felipe Gobbi Grazziotin |last8=Keogh |first8=J. Scott |author8-link=species:J. Scott Keogh |title=Phylogenomics, Biogeography, and Morphometrics Reveal Rapid Phenotypic Evolution in Pythons After Crossing Wallace's Line |journal=Systematic Biology |dateyear=2020 |volume=69 |issue=6 |pages=1039–1051 |doi=10.1093/sysbio/syaa024|pmid=32208482 |doi-access=free }}</ref> overlooking the available name ''Nyctophilopython'' for the species which was immediately [[Synonym (taxonomy)|synonymised]] with the resurrected ''Nyctophilopython''.<ref name=Kaiser2020>{{cite journal |last1=Kaiser |first1=Hinrich |author1-link=species:Hinrich Kaiser |last2=Thomson |first2=Scott A. |author2-link=species:Scott A. Thomson |last3=Shea |first3=Glenn M. |author3-link=species:Glenn Michael Shea |title=''Nawaran'' Esquerré, Donnellan, Brennan, Lemmon, Lemmon, Zaher, Grazziotin & Keogh, 2020 is an invalid junior synonym of ''Nyctophilopython'' Wells & Wellington, 1985 (Squamata, Pythonidae): simple priority without ''Zoobank'' pre-registration |journal=Bionomina |date=2020 |volume=20 |issue=1 |pages=47–54 |doi=10.11646/bionomina.20.1.4|s2cid=234402033 }}</ref>

As of September 2024, [[ITIS]] and the [[IUCN Red List]] identify the ''Simalia'' classification as valid,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=1094048| title=ITIS - Report: ''Simalia oenpelliensis ''}}</ref><ref>[https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/42494211/42494251 Species. Taxonomy] {{webarchive|date=24 November 2020

|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124191729/https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/42494211/42494251}}</ref> while [[The Reptile Database]] uses ''Nyctophilopython''.<ref name=RDB/>

==Description==

A large and rare species of the monotypic genus ''Nyctophilopython'', the Oenpelli python may grow to more than {{convert|4|m|ft|abbr=on}} in total length (including tail),<ref name=ReptilesAU>{{cite web|title=Oenpelli python|url=http://reptilesofaustralia.com/snakes/pythons/moenpelli.htm#.VtPK32zTmdB|work=The Reptiles of Australia|first1=J.John|last1=Fowler|first2=J.John|last2=Hollister|date=11 April 2015|access-date=2016-02-29}}</ref> and one specimen in captivity is reportedly more than {{convert|5|m|ft|abbr=on}} longin total length.<ref name=Got6/> ItThe species is unusually thin in proportion to its length, relative to other pythons.<ref name=JCM/>

The [[Dorsum (anatomy)|dorsal]] colour pattern is dark olive-brown with darkened blotches. The belly is pale and dull, varying from cream to yellow.<ref name="NT threatened">{{cite web|url=http://www.nt.gov.au/nreta/wildlife/animals/threatened/pdf/herps/oenpelli_python_vu.pdf|title=Oenpelli python. ''Morelia oenpelliensis''|last=WoinarskWoinarski|first=J.|work=Threatened Species of the Northern Territory|publisher=Northern Territory Government|access-date=2008-10-22|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080903062030/http://www.nt.gov.au/nreta/wildlife/animals/threatened/pdf/herps/oenpelli_python_vu.pdf|archive-date=2008-09-03}}</ref>

The Oenpelli python is able to change its [[animal colouration|skin colouration]], which tends to be lighter at night and darker in the daytime.<ref name=JCM>{{cite web|url=http://www.giantconstrictingsnakes.com/MoreliaOenpellensis.html|url-status=dead|title=The Oenpelli Python, ''Simalia oenpelliensis ''|work=Giant Constricting Snakes – The Science of Large Serpents|last=Murphy|first=J.C.|author-link=species:John C. Murphy |access-date=2016-02-29|archive-date=2016-03-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307185012/http://www.giantconstrictingsnakes.com/MoreliaOenpellensis.html}}</ref>

The eggs of the Oenpelli python have been described as "huge".<ref name=Mur97/> At {{convert|110.5|by|60|mm|in|abbr=on}}, they are almost twice the size of those for the related amethystine python (''[[Amethystine python|Simalia amethystina]]''), which are reported as {{convert|70|-|98|by|45-56|mm|in|abbr=on}}.<ref name=Mur97>{{cite book|last1=Murphy|first1=J. C.|last2=Henderson|first2=R. W.|author1-link=species:Robert William Henderson |year=1997|title=Tales of Giant Snakes: A Historical Natural History of Anacondas and Pythons|publisher=Krieger Pub. Co.|isbn=0-89464-995-7|pages=[https://archive.org/details/talesofgiantsnak00murp/page/37 37, 105]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/talesofgiantsnak00murp/page/37}}</ref>

==Behaviour==

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==Distribution and habitat==

The speciesOenpelli python occurs in a restricted range in the Northern Territory, in the sandstone outcrops of western Arnhem Land.<ref name="NT threatened"/><ref name="Cogger" />

The species is found in [[habitat]] located on a sandstone [[massif]], in the regions surrounding the upper reaches of the [[Cadell River|Cadell]], [[South Alligator River|South Alligator]] and [[East Alligator River|East Alligator]] rivers. It is territorial, roaming between discrete positions, such as overhangs and caves in sandstone gorges or in a shady tree. Sightings are also reported in the region's woodland, heathland, and open rocky plains. It is noted as having an association with the [[Kombalgie]] sandstone gorges.<ref name="Cogger">{{cite book|author-link=Harold Cogger|last=Cogger|first=H. G.|year=2000|title=Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia|publisher=[[New Holland Publishers|New Holland Publishers Australia]]|isbn=9781876334338}}</ref> It is said to be associated with sandstone rock outcrops with dense vegetation.<ref name=JCM/>

==Conservation status==

The total population of ''N. oenpelliensis'' is poorly surveyed, and no study has been made of the rate of its decline. This is partly due to the inaccessibility of the region, a factor that may help the preservation of the species. The conservation status of ''Nyctophilopython oenpelliensis'' is listed by the Northern Territory Government as vulnerable to extinction. This has been evaluated by known threatening factors, such as altered land use and fire regimes, and population inferred from the relative abundance of its prey. This is estimated to be below 10,000, which is inferred from several factors. As a large predator, the species is particularly vulnerable to declines in available prey. These larger mammals are more susceptible to changes in land use and threats such as introduced species. Suitable habitat is also limited in the distribution range of the species. The species is known to be illegally collected for private use, which is likely to impact on some subpopulations. This threat is limited by the inaccessibility of its habitat, the same factor that has restricted study of the species. Variation and decline in subpopulations has not been fully evaluated. It is found within a conservation reserve known as [[Kakadu National Park]].<ref name="NT threatened"/>

An attempt to start a breeding program was begun in 2012<ref name=SydneySmith>{{cite news|first=D.Deborah|last=Smith|url=http://www.smh.com.au/environment/animals/snakes-alive--if-only-hed-been-seeing-double-20120619-20m61.html|title=Snakes alive – if only he'd been seeing double|newspaper=[[Sydney Morning Herald]]|date=20 June 2012|access-date=2016-02-09}}</ref> and has had some limited success.<ref name=Got6>{{cite news|url=http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/wildlife/2014/07/oenpelli-python|title=Saving the Oenpelli python|first=D.|last=Hancock|author-link=species:David L. Hancock|work=[[Australian Geographic]]|date=15 July 2014|access-date=2016-02-29}}</ref> As of July, 2014, the program included six specimens.<ref name=Got6/> In early 2015, the first two captive-bred neonates were born.<ref name=ReptilesAU/> One of the pythons in the program is featured at the [[Crocosaurus Cove]] [[herpetarium]] attraction in [[Darwin, Australia]], which may be the only facility in the world that has a specimen on display for the general public.<ref name=CrocCove>{{cite web | url=https://www.crocosauruscove.com/explore-the-nocturnal-house/ | title=Explore the Nocturnal Reptile House at Crocosaurus Cove | date=21 March 2019 }}</ref>

==In Aboriginal language and culture==

In the [[Bininj Kunwok language|Kunwinjku]] language spoken in [[Gunbalanya, Northern Territory|Oenpelli]] itself (now known as Gunbalanya), the Oenpelli python is called ''nawaran''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Garde |first1=Murray |title=nawaran |url=https://www.njamed.com/#nawaran |website=Bininj Kunwok dictionary |publisher=Bininj Kunwok Regional Language Centre |access-date=19 June 2019}}</ref> The Oenpelli python has historically been a totemic creature for the Bininj Aboriginal people and because of its iridescent scales it may also be associated with the [[Rainbow Serpent]].<ref name=Got6/>

The Oenpelli python has historically been a totemic creature for the Bininj Aboriginal people and because of its iridescent scales it may also be associated with the [[Rainbow Serpent]].<ref>{{cite web | last1=Hancock |first1=David |title=Saving the Oenpelli python |url=https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/wildlife/2014/07/oenpelli-python/ |website=Australian National Geographic |publisher=Australian National Geographic |access-date=5 July 2020 }}</ref>

==References==

{{Reflist}}|refs=

*<ref name=RDB>{{NRDB species |genus=Nyctophilopython |species=oenpelliensis |access-date=1020 June|year=2021 2022}}</ref>

}}

==Further reading==

*[[Harold Cogger|Cogger, H.G.]] (2018). ''Reptiles & Amphibians of Australia, Updated Seventh Edition''. Clayton South, Victoria, Australia: CSIRO Publishing. xxxii + 1,060 pp. {{ISBN|978-1486309696}}.

*[[species:Steve K. Wilson|Wilson, S.]]; [[species:Gerry Swan|Swan, G.]] (2023). ''A Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia, Sixth Edition''. Sydney: Reed New Holland Publishers. 680 pp. {{ISBN|978-1-92554-671-2}}. (''Nyctophilopython oenpelliensis'', pp. 556–557).

==External links==

*Terzon, Emilia (2015). "Darwin snake expert breeds 'rainbow serpent' python back from the brink of extinction." ABC News 1415 April 2015. [http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-04-15/rare-nt-python-bred-first-time-captivity/6394192 Endangered Oenpelli python bred in world first]

*{{NRDB species|genus=Nyctophilopython|species=oenpelliensis|date=10 June|year=2021}}

*"Darwin snake expert breeds 'rainbow serpent' python back from the brink of extinction." ABC News 14 April 2015. [http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-04-15/rare-nt-python-bred-first-time-captivity/6394192]

{{Pythonidae}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q1567030|from2=Q104876197}}

[[Category:Snakes of Australia]]

[[Category:Pythonidae]]

[[Category:Snakes of Australia]]

[[Category:Reptiles of the Northern Territory]]

[[Category:Endemic fauna of Australia]]

[[Category:Reptiles described in 1977]]