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| species = reticulatus
| authority = ([[Johann Gottlob Schneider|Schneider]], 1801)<ref name="McD99"/>
| range_map = Python reticulatus Distribution Map.png
| synonyms = {{collapsible list|bullets = true|title=<small>List</small>
| ''Boa reticulata'' <br /><small>Schneider, 1801</small>
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}}
The '''reticulated python''' ('''''Malayopython reticulatus''''') is a [[Pythonidae|python]] species native to [[South Asia|South]] and [[Southeast Asia]]. It is the world's [[List of largest snakes|longest snake]], and the [[list of largest snakes|third heaviest snake]].
==Taxonomy==
The reticulated python was first described in 1801 by
In a 2004<!-- The publication date on the referenced website says "First published: 28 February 2006". --> genetics study using [[cytochrome b]] DNA, [[species:Robin Lawson|Robin Lawson]] and colleagues discovered the reticulated python as sister to Australo-Papuan pythons, rather than ''[[Indian python|Python molurus]]'' and relatives.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Lawson |first1=R. |author-link=species:Robin Lawson |last2=Slowinski |first2=J. B. |author-link2=Joseph Bruno Slowinski|last3=Burbrink |first3=F. T. |author3-link=species:Frank T. Burbrink |
Most taxonomists choose to ignore ''Broghammerus'' and other names by Hoser, as its description lacked scientific rigour and was not published in a reputable journal.<ref name=Kaiser>{{cite journal |title=Best Practices: In the 21st Century, Taxonomic Decisions in Herpetology are Acceptable Only When Supported by a Body of Evidence and Published via Peer-Review |url=http://www.markoshea.info/downloads/Kaiser-et-al-2013.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.markoshea.info/downloads/Kaiser-et-al-2013.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |last1=Kaiser |first1=H. |author-link=species:Hinrich Kaiser |last2=Crother
===Subspecies===
Three [[subspecies]] have been proposed:
* ''M. r. reticulatus'' <small>([[Johann Gottlob Theaenus Schneider|Schneider]], 1801)</small> – Asian reticulated python
* ''M. r. jampeanus'' <small>[[species:Mark Auliya|Auliya]] et al., 2002</small> – Kayaudi reticulated python or Tanahjampean reticulated python, about half the length,<ref name="Mat99">{{cite book |last1=Mattison |first1=C. |author-link=species:Chris Mattison |year=1999 |title=Snake |___location=London |publisher=Dorling Kindersley Publishing |isbn=978-0-7894-4660-2}}</ref> or according to Auliya et al. (2002), not reaching much more than {{
* ''M. r. saputrai'' <small>Auliya et al., 2002</small> – Selayer reticulated python, occurs on [[Selayar Island]] in the Selayar Archipelago and also in adjacent Sulawesi. This subspecies represents a [[Sister group|sister lineage]] to all other populations of reticulated pythons tested.<ref name="Aul02"/> According to Auliya et al. (2002) it does not exceed {{
The latter two are [[Insular dwarfism|dwarf]] subspecies. Apparently, the population of the [[Sangihe Islands]] north of Sulawesi represents another such subspecies, which is [[Basal (phylogenetics)|basal]] to the ''P. r. reticulatus'' plus ''P. r. jampeanus'' [[clade]], but it is not yet formally described.<ref name="Aul02"/>
The proposed subspecies ''M. r. "dalegibbonsi"'', ''M. r. "euanedwardsi"'', ''M. r. "haydnmacphiei"'', ''M. r. "neilsonnemani"'', ''M. r. "patrickcouperi"'', and ''M. r. "stuartbigmorei"'' have not found general acceptance.<ref name="Hos03">{{cite journal |last=Hoser |first=R. |year=2003 |title=A Reclassification of the Pythoninae Including the Descriptions of Two New Genera, Two New Species, and Nine New Subspecies. Part I |journal=Crocodilian - Journal of the Victorian Association of Amateur Herpetologists |volume=4 |issue=3 |pages=31–37 |url=http://www.smuggled.com/pytrev2.htm
==Characteristics==
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The reticulated python is the largest snake native to Asia. More than a thousand wild reticulated pythons in southern [[Sumatra]] were studied, and estimated to have a length range of {{convert|1.5|to|6.5|m|ftin|abbr=on}}, and a weight range of {{convert|1|to|75|kg|lboz|abbr=on}}.<ref name=Shine>{{cite journal|vauthors=[[Richard Shine|Shine R]], [[species:Peter S. Harlowe|Harlow PS]], [[species:J. Scott Keogh|Keogh JS]], [[species:Boeadi|Boeadi]] |year=1998|title=The influence of sex and body size on food habits of a giant tropical snake, ''Python reticulatus'' |journal=Functional Ecology |volume=12 |issue=2 |pages=248–258| doi=10.1046/j.1365-2435.1998.00179.x |s2cid=46957156|doi-access= |bibcode=1998FuEco..12..248S}}</ref> Reticulated pythons with lengths more than {{convert|6|m|ftin|abbr=on}} are rare, though according to the ''[[Guinness Book of World Records]]'', it is the only extant snake to regularly exceed that length.<ref name = "Wood">{{cite book | author=Wood, G. |title=The Guinness Book of Animal Facts and Feats |year=1983 |publisher=Guinness Superlatives |isbn=978-0-85112-235-9}}</ref> One of the largest scientifically measured specimens, from [[Balikpapan]], [[East Kalimantan]], [[Indonesia]], was measured under anesthesia at {{convert|6.95|m|ftin|abbr=on}} and weighed {{convert|59|kg|lboz|abbr=on}} after not having eaten for nearly 3 months.<ref name="Fre05"/>
The specimen once widely accepted as the largest-ever "accurately" measured snake, that being Colossus, a specimen kept at the Highland Park Zoo (now the [[Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium]]) in [[Pittsburgh]], [[Pennsylvania]], during the 1950s and early 1960s, with a peak reported length of {{convert|8.7|m|ftin}} from a measurement in November 1956, was later shown to have been substantially shorter than previously reported. When Colossus died on 14 April 1964, its body was deposited in the [[Carnegie Museum of Natural History]]. At that time, its skeleton was measured and found to be {{convert|20|ft|10|in|m|abbr=on}} in total length, and the length of its fresh hide was measured as {{convert|23|ft|11|in|m|abbr=on}}.<ref name=Bar12/> The hide tends to stretch from the skinning process, thus may be longer than the snake from which it came – e.g., by roughly 20–40% or more.<ref name=Mur97/> The previous reports had been constructed by combining partial measurements with estimations to compensate for "kinks", since completely straightening an extremely large live python is virtually impossible. Because of these issues, a 2012 journal article concluded, "Colossus was neither the longest snake nor the heaviest snake ever maintained in captivity." Too large to be preserved with [[formaldehyde]] and then stored in [[ethanol|alcohol]], the specimen was instead prepared as a disarticulated skeleton. The hide was sent to a laboratory to be [[Tanning (leather)|tanned]], but it was either lost or destroyed, and now only the skull and selected vertebrae and ribs remain in the museum's collection.<ref name=Bar12>{{cite journal |last1=Barker |first1=
Numerous reports have been made of larger snakes, but since none of these was measured by a scientist nor any of the specimens deposited at a museum, they must be regarded as unproven and possibly erroneous. In spite of what has been, for many years, a standing offer of a large financial reward (initially $1,000, later raised to $5,000, then $15,000 in 1978 and $50,000 in 1980) for a live, healthy snake {{convert|30|ft|m|2|abbr=on}} or longer by the [[New York Zoological Society]] (later renamed as the Wildlife Conservation Society), no attempt to claim this reward has ever been made.<ref name="Mur97">{{cite book|first1=John C.|last1=Murphy|author-link=species:John C. Murphy |first2=Robert W. |last2=Henderson|author2-link=species:Robert W. Henderson |date=1997|title=Tales of Giant Snakes: A Historical Natural History of Anacondas and Pythons |publisher=Krieger Publishing Co.|isbn=978-0-89464-995-0|pages=24–26, 35, 47–50, 55–56}}</ref>
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|doi=10.1007/s00114-002-0320-4|pmid=12135085|bibcode=2002NW.....89..201A|s2cid=4368895}}</ref> but are not recognized in the [[Integrated Taxonomic Information System]]. The color and size can vary a great deal among the subspecies described. Geographical ___location is a good key to establishing the subspecies, as each one has a distinct geographical range.
The reticulated python lives in rainforests, woodlands, and nearby grasslands. It is also associated with rivers and is found in areas with nearby streams and lakes. An excellent swimmer, it has even been reported far out at sea and has consequently colonized many small islands within its range.<ref name="Meh87"/> During the early years of the 20th century, it is said to have been common even in busy parts of [[Bangkok]], sometimes eating domestic animals.<ref name="Sti74">Stidworthy J (1974). ''Snakes of the World''. Grosset & Dunlap Inc.
==Behaviour and ecology==
===Diet===▼
[[File:Python reticulatus feeding in TMII Reptil Park.jpg|thumb|A captive reticulated python eating a chicken]]
[[File:Reticulated Python imported from iNaturalist photo 329649049 on 3 December 2024.jpg|thumb|[[Ophiophagus bungarus|Sunda king cobra]] eating a reticulated python]]
▲===Diet===
As with all pythons, the reticulated python is an [[ambush predator]], usually waiting until prey wanders within strike range before seizing it in its coils and killing by [[constriction]]. Its natural diet includes [[mammal]]s and occasionally [[bird]]s. Small specimens up to {{convert|3|-|4|m|ftin|abbr=on}} long eat mainly small [[mammal]]s such as [[rat]]s, other [[rodent]]s, [[mouse-eared bat]]s, and [[treeshrew]]s, whereas larger individuals switch to prey such as [[small Indian civet]] and [[binturong]], [[primate]]s, [[pig]]s, and [[deer]] weighing more than {{convert|60|kg|lboz|abbr=on}}.<ref name="animaldiversity.org">{{Cite web|url=https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Python_reticulatus/|title = ''Python reticulatus'' (Reticulated Python)| website=[[Animal Diversity Web]]}}</ref> As a rule, the reticulated python seems able to swallow prey up to one-quarter its own length and up to its own weight. Near human habitation, it is known to snatch stray [[chicken]]s, [[cat]]s, and [[dog]]s on occasion.<ref name=Shine/>
Among the largest documented prey items are a half-starved [[sun bear]] of {{convert|23|kg|lboz|abbr=on}} that was eaten by a {{convert|6.95|m|adj=on|ftin|abbr=on}} specimen and took some 10 weeks to digest.<ref name="Fre05">{{cite journal |author=Fredriksson, G. M. |author-link=species:Gabriella Margit Fredriksson |year=2005 |title=Predation on Sun Bears by Reticulated Python in East Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo |journal=Raffles Bulletin of Zoology |volume=53 |issue=1 |pages=165–168 |url=http://rmbr.nus.edu.sg/rbz/biblio/53/53rbz165-168.pdf |archive-date=2007-08-11 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070811101110/http://rmbr.nus.edu.sg/rbz/biblio/53/53rbz165-168.pdf}}</ref>
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[[File:Reticulated-catch.jpg|thumb|Large reticulated pythons are occasionally found on the outskirts of Bangkok. Usually, a minimum of two people is required to successfully extract such a large snake.]]
[[File:Reticulated-python.jpg|thumb|Reticulated python in Pune]]
The reticulated python is among the few snakes that prey on humans, and is the only species of snake
* A report of a visit of Antonio van Diemen, Governor-General of the [[Dutch East India Company]], to the [[Banda Islands]] in 1638, includes a description of an enslaved woman who, when tending to a garden on the volcanic island of [[Banda Api|Gunung Api]], was strangled by a snake of "24 houtvoeten" (
* In early 20th-century Indonesia: On Salibabu island, [[North Sulawesi]], a 14-year-old boy was killed and supposedly eaten by a specimen {{cvt|5.17|m}} in length. Another incident involved a woman reputedly eaten by a "large reticulated python", but few details are known.<ref name="Kop27">{{cite journal |author=Kopstein, F. |author-link=Felix Kopstein|year=1927 |title=Over het verslinden van menschen door ''Python reticulatus'' |journal=Tropische Natuur |issue=4 |pages=65–67 |trans-title=On the swallowing of humans by ''P. reticulatus''}}<!-- Check for abstract. --> (in Dutch)</ref>
* In the early 1910s or in 1927, a jeweller went hunting with his friends and was apparently eaten by a {{cvt|6|m}} python after he sought shelter from a rainstorm in or under a tree. Supposedly, he was swallowed feet-first, perhaps the easiest way for a snake to actually swallow a human.<ref name="Bru98">{{cite journal |author=Bruno, S. |year=1998 |url=http://www.pna.it/Site_old/criptozoologia/serpenti.htm |title=I serpenti giganti |trans-title=The giant snakes |journal=Criptozoologia |volume=4 |pages=16–29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070228013241/http://www.pna.it/Site_old/criptozoologia/serpenti.htm |archive-date=2007-02-28 |language=it}}</ref>
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* In October 2003, a woman was reported to be eaten by a giant reticulated python at [[Sajek Valley]] in [[Rangamati Hill District]], Bangladesh, when she was collecting paddy crops with her husband. People came to help and retrieved the woman's body from the python's belly.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2003 |title=Python attacks, swallows Bangladeshi woman |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2003-11-21/python-attacks-swallows-bangladeshi-woman/1512770 |access-date=2024-05-22 |work=ABC News}}</ref>
* In October 2008, a woman from [[Virginia Beach]] appeared to have been killed by a {{cvt|13|ft|m|order=flip}} pet reticulated python. The apparent cause of death was [[asphyxiation]]. The snake was later found in the bedroom in an agitated state.<ref>{{cite news |year=2008 |title=Woman killed by pet 13-foot python |url=http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/10/23/Woman_killed_by_pet_13-foot_python/UPI-21431224801360/ |work=UPI |access-date=27 October 2008}}</ref>
* In January 2009, a 3-year-old boy was wrapped in the coils of a {{cvt|
* In December 2013, a 59-year-old security guard was strangled to death while trying to capture a python near the Bali Hyatt, a luxury hotel on Indonesia's resort island. The incident happened around 3 am as the 4.5-m (15-ft) python was crossing a road near the hotel. The victim had offered to help capture the snake, which had been spotted several times before near the hotel in the Sanur, Bali, area and escaped back into nearby bushes.<ref>{{cite news |year=2013 |title=Python kills security guard near Bali luxury hotel |url=https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/12/27/python-kills-security-guard-near-bali-luxury-hotel.html |work=The Jakarta Post |access-date=29 June 2019}}</ref>
*In March 2017, the body of [[Death of Akbar Salubiro|Akbar Salubiro]], a 25-year-old farmer in [[Central Mamuju Regency]], [[West Sulawesi]], Indonesia, was found inside the stomach of a {{cvt|7|m}} reticulated python. He had been declared missing from his palm tree plantation, and the people searching for him found the python the next day with a large bulge in its stomach. They killed the python and found the whole body of the missing farmer inside. This was the first fully confirmed case of a person being eaten by a python. The process of retrieving the body from the python's stomach was documented by pictures and videos taken by witnesses.<ref>{{cite news |title=Beginilah Ular Piton Menelan Akbar Petani Sawit Memuju Tengah |work=Tribun Timur |date=2017 |author=Nurhadi |language=id |url=http://makassar.tribunnews.com/2017/03/28/beginilah-ular-piton-menelan-akbar-petani-sawit-memuju-tengah |access-date=28 March 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Missing man found dead in belly of 7m-long python in Indonesia: Report |url=http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/missing-man-found-dead-in-belly-of-7m-long-python-report |date=2017 |newspaper=Straits Times |access-date=2017-03-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-39427458 |title=Indonesian man's body found inside python – police |date=2017 |newspaper=BBC |access-date=2017-03-29}}</ref>
* In June 2018, a 54-year-old Indonesian woman in [[Muna Island]], Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia, was killed and eaten by a {{cvt|
*In June 2020, a 16-year-old Indonesian boy was attacked and killed by a {{cvt|7|m}} long python in [[Bombana Regency]], Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia. The incident took place near a waterfall at Mount Kahar in Rumbia sub-district. The victim was separated from his four friends in the woods. When he screamed, his friends came to help and found him encoiled by a large python. Villagers came to help and managed to kill the snake using a [[parang (knife)|parang]] machete. However, the victim had already suffocated.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2020 |title=''Seorang Pelajar SMP Dililit Ular Piton hingga Tewas'' |publisher=Kompas |url=https://regional.kompas.com/read/2020/06/15/12203591/seorang-pelajar-smp-dililit-ular-piton-hingga-tewas |access-date=2020-06-15 |language=id}}</ref>
*In October 2022, a 52-year-old woman in Terjun Gajah village, Betara Subdistrict, [[West Tanjung Jabung Regency]], Jambi, Indonesia, was killed and swallowed whole by a {{cvt|6|m}} reticulated python. She went to tap rubber sap on 23 October 2022 and did not return home after sunset. After she was reported missing for a day and a night, a search party discovered a large python with a bulge in its body in a jungle near the rubber plantation. The villagers immediately killed and dissected the python and discovered the intact body of the missing woman inside. Villagers feared more large pythons might be present because farmers previously had reported two [[goat]]s missing.<ref>{{Cite news |author=Suwandi |date=2022 |title=Sempat Hilang, Seorang Ibu Penyadap Karet di Jambi Ditelan Ular Piton 6 Meter |url=https://regional.kompas.com/read/2022/10/24/180706978/sempat-hilang-seorang-ibu-penyadap-karet-di-jambi-ditelan-ular-piton-6 |access-date=24 October 2022 |work=KOMPAS |language=id}}</ref>
*In June 2024, a woman of Kalempang village in South Sulawesi province in Indonesia went missing, and her body was discovered inside a reticulated python.<ref>{{Cite news |year=2024 |title=Python swallows woman whole in Indonesia |work=The Straits Times |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/python-swallows-woman-whole-in-indonesia |access-date=10 June 2024}}</ref> 3 weeks later, in July 2024, another woman was discovered inside a python's stomach in South Sulawesi.<ref>{{Cite news |year=2024 |title=Woman found dead after she was swallowed whole by python in central Indonesia |work=The Straits Times |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/woman-found-dead-after-she-was-swallowed-whole-by-python-in-central-indonesia |access-date=3 July 2024}}</ref> In August 2024, an elderly woman was found dead after a predatory attempt by a {{cvt|4|m}} long python. The snake had killed the victim and tried to swallow her, but could not get over the shoulders, regurgitating the body instead.<ref>{{Cite news |year=2024 |title=Woman found dead after she was swallowed whole by python in central Indonesia |work=CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/python-kills-woman-indonesia-swallowed-up-to-her-shoulders-officials-say/ |access-date=16 August 2024}}</ref> 2 weeks later another woman in Jambi province was killed by a {{cvt|5|m}} python, which managed to swallow half of her body before being found and killed by the villagers.<ref>{{Cite news |year=2024 |title=Grandmother, 57, killed by huge python while working on farm in Indonesia | work=Asia Pacific Press |url=https://asiapacificpress.com/517/grandmother-57-killed-by-huge-python-while-working-on-farm-in-indonesia | access-date=6 September 2024}}</ref> In November 2024, a 30-year-old man was killed and swallowed whole by a {{cvt|7|m}} long specimen, the first recorded case of an adult male being eaten since 2017.<ref>{{Cite news |year=2024 |title=Horrifying moment man cuts his brother's body out of the belly of 23ft python |work=The Mirror |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/horrifying-moment-man-cuts-brothers-34201905 |access-date=27 November 2024}}</ref>
*In July 2025, a man was killed and swallowed whole by a {{cvt|8|m}} reticulated python in Majapahit Village, Batauga, southeastern Sulawesi.<ref>{{cite news |title=Missing Indonesian farmer found dead inside stomach of giant 26-foot python |url=https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/missing-indonesian-farmer-found-dead-inside-stomach-of-giant-26-foot-python-8835358 |access-date=2025-07-08 |date=2025 |work=NDTV}}</ref>
==In captivity==
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*{{cite journal |last1=Auliya |first1=M.A. |last2=Mausfeld |first2=P. |author2-link=species:Patrick Mausfeld |last3=Schmitz |first3=A. |author3-link=species:Andreas Schmitz |last4=Böhme |first4=W. |author4-link=species:Wolfgang Böhme |year=2002 |title=Review of the reticulated python (''Python reticulatus'' Schneider, 1801{{sic}}<!-- this refers to the lack of parentheses around "Schneider, 1801" - the genus Python was only established in 1803. -->) with the description of new subspecies from Indonesia |journal=[[Naturwissenschaften]] |volume=89 |issue=5|pages=201–213 |doi=10.1007/s00114-002-0320-4 |pmid=12135085 |bibcode=2002NW.....89..201A |s2cid=4368895}} (HTML abstract, electronic supplement available to subscribers).
*{{cite journal|author=Raven, H.C. |year=1946 |title=Adventures in python country|journal=[[Natural History (magazine)|Natural History]]|volume=55|pages=38–41}}
*{{cite journal |last1=Shine |first1=R. |author-link=Richard Shine |last2=Ambariyanto |last3=Harlow |first3=P.S. |author3-link=species:Peter S. Harlow |last4=Mumpuni |author4-link=species:Mumpuni |year=1999 |title=Reticulated pythons in Sumatra: biology, harvesting and sustainability |url=http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=1742391 |journal=Biological Conservation |volume=87 |issue=3|pages=349–357 |doi=10.1016/s0006-3207(98)00068-8 |bibcode=1999BCons..87..349S|url-access=subscription }}
{{Refend}}
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* [https://web.archive.org/web/20190827042210/http://reticulatedpython.info/history.html Reticulated python life history] at [https://web.archive.org/web/20100314092226/http://www.reticulatedpython.info/ Reticulatedpython.info ]. Accessed 7 November 2009
* [http://www.reptileexpert.org/reticulated-python-care/ ''Python reticulatus''] at [http://www.reptileexpert.org/ ReptileExpert.org]. Accessed 22 August 2011.
* [http://www.answers.com/main/ntq-dsid-2392-dekey-%23Reticulated_python Reticulated python] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160414234756/http://www.answers.com/main/ntq-dsid-2392-dekey-%23Reticulated_python |date=2016-04-14 }} at [http://www.answers.com/ Answers.com]. Accessed 12 September 2007.
* [
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0P69Mp4F8ws 25 ft World's Longest Snake]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VngKrGr6q2A Python swallows Indonesian man whole] Fox News
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