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*''Nawaran oenpelliensis'' {{small|— Esquerré et al. 2020}}
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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=RDB/> 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/>
==Taxonomy and etymology==
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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.|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|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>https://www.crocosauruscove.com/explore-the-nocturnal-house/</ref>
==In Aboriginal language and culture==
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