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{{Taxobox
| name = Pythonidae
| image = Python molurus molurus 2.jpg
| image_caption = Indian python, ''[[Python molurus]]''
| regnum = [[Animalia]]
| phylum = [[Chordata]]
| subphylum = [[Vertebrata]]
| classis = [[Reptilia]]
| ordo = [[Squamata]]
| subordo = [[Serpentes]]
| infraordo = [[Alethinophidia]]
| familia = '''Pythonidae'''
| familia_authority = [[Leopold Fitzinger|Fitzinger]], 1826
| synonyms = * Pythonoidea - Fitzinger, 1826
* Pythonoidei - Eichwald, 1831
* Holodonta - Müller, 1832
* Pythonina - Bonaparte, 1840
* Pythophes - Fitzinger, 1843
* Pythoniens - A.M.C. Duméril & Bibron, 1844
* Holodontes - A.M.C. Duméril & Bibron, 1844
* Pythonides - A.M.C. Duméril & Bibron, 1844
* Pythones - Cope, 1861
* Pythonidae - Cope, 1864
* Peropodes - Meyer, 1874
* Chondropythonina - Boulenger, 1879
* Pythoninae - Boulenger, 1890
* Pythonini - Underwood & Stimson, 1990
* Moreliini - Underwood & Stimson, 1990<ref name="McD99">McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré T. 1999. Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, vol. 1. Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. ISBN 1-893777-00-6 (series). ISBN 1-893777-01-4 (volume).</ref>
}}
The '''Pythonidae''', commonly known simply as '''pythons''', from the [[Greek language|Greek]] word python-πυθων, are a [[Family (biology)|family]] of non-[[venomous]] [[snake]]s found in [[Africa]], [[Asia]] and [[Australia]]. Among its members are some of the largest snakes in the world. Eight [[Genus|genera]] and 26 [[species]] are currently recognized.<ref name="ITIS">{{ITIS|ID=563893|taxon=Pythonidae|year=2007|date=15 September}}</ref>
==Geographic range==
Found in subsaharan [[Africa]], peninsular [[India]], [[Myanmar]], southern [[China]], [[Southeast Asia]] and from the [[Philippines]] southeast through [[Indonesia]] to [[New Guinea]] and [[Australia]].<ref name="McD99"/>
In the [[United States]] an introduced population of Burmese pythons, ''[[Python molurus bivittatus]]'', has existed as an invasive species in the [[Everglades National Park]] since the late 1990s.<ref name="NGeo">[http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/06/0603_040603_invasivespecies.html Huge, Freed Pet Pythons Invade Florida Everglades] at [http://news.nationalgeographic.com/ http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/ National Geographic News]. Accessed 16 September 2007.</ref>
==Conservation==
Many species have been hunted aggressively, which has decimated some, such as the Indian python, ''[[Python molurus]]''.
==Behavior==
[[Image:Blackheaded python2.jpg|left|240px|thumb|Black-headed python,<br/>''[[Aspidites melanocephalus]]'']] Most members of this family are [[ambush predator]]s, in that they typically remain motionless in a camouflaged position and then strike suddenly at passing prey. They will generally not attack humans unless startled or provoked, although females protecting their eggs can be aggressive. Large adult specimens can kill people. Unsuspecting children can and have been preyed upon and swallowed whole after being suffocated. Reports of attacks on human beings were once more common in South and Southeast Asia, but are now quite rare.
==Feeding==
Prey is killed by a process known as ''[[constriction]]''; after an animal has been grasped to restrain it, a number of coils are hastily wrapped around it. Then, by applying and maintaining sufficient pressure to prevent it from inhaling, the prey eventually succumbs due to [[asphyxia]]tion. It has recently been suggested that the pressures produced during constriction cause cardiac arrest by interfering with blood flow,<ref>Hardy, David L. (1994). A re-evaluation of suffocation as the cause of death during constriction by snakes. Herpetological Review 229: 45-47.</ref> but this hypothesis has not yet been confirmed.
Larger specimens usually eat animals about the size of a house cat, but larger food items are not unknown: some large Asian species have been known to take down adult [[deer]], and the African rock python, ''[[Python sebae]]'', has been known to eat [[gazelle]]. Prey is swallowed whole, and may take anywhere from several days or even weeks to fully digest. Despite their intimidating size and muscular power, they are generally not dangerous to humans.
Contrary to popular belief, even the larger species, such as the reticulated python, ''[[Python reticulatus|P. reticulatus]]'', do not crush their prey to death; in fact, prey is not even noticeably deformed before it is swallowed. The speed with which the coils are applied is impressive and the force they exert may be significant, but death is caused by suffocation, with the victim not being able to move its ribs to breathe while it is being constricted.<ref name="Meh87">Mehrtens JM. 1987. Living Snakes of the World in Color. New York: Sterling Publishers. 480 pp. ISBN 0-8069-6460-X.</ref><ref name="Sti74">Stidworthy J. 1974. Snakes of the World. Grosset & Dunlap Inc. 160 pp. ISBN 0-448-11856-4.</ref><ref name="Car63">Carr A. 1963. The Reptiles. Life Nature Library. Time-Life Books, New York. 192 pp. LCCCN 63-12781.</ref>
==Reproduction==
Females lay eggs ([[oviparous]]). This sets them apart from the family [[Boidae]] (boas), most of which bear live young ([[ovoviviparous]]). After they lay their eggs, females will typically incubate them until they hatch. This is achieved by causing the muscles to "shiver", which raises the temperature of the body to a certain degree, and thus that of the eggs. Keeping the eggs at a constant temperature is essential for healthy embryo development. During the incubation period, females will not eat and only leave to bask to raise their body temperature.
==Captivity==
Most species in this family are available in the exotic pet trade. However, caution must be exercised with the larger species as they can be dangerous; cases of large specimens killing their owners have been documented.<ref name="Anapsid">[http://www.anapsid.org/coloburm.html The Keeping of Large Pythons] at [http://www.anapsid.org/ Anapsid]. Accessed 16 September 2007.</ref>
==Genera==
{|cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2 border=1 style="border-collapse: collapse;"
!bgcolor="#f0f0f0"|Genus<ref name="ITIS"/>
!bgcolor="#f0f0f0"|Taxon author<ref name="ITIS"/>
!bgcolor="#f0f0f0"|Species<ref name="ITIS"/>
!bgcolor="#f0f0f0"|Subsp.*<ref name="ITIS"/>
!bgcolor="#f0f0f0"|Common name
!bgcolor="#f0f0f0"|Geographic range<ref name="McD99"/>
|-
|''[[Antaresia]]''
|Wells & Wellington, 1984
|align="center"|4
|align="center"|0
|
|style="width:40%"|[[Australia]] in arid and tropical regions.
|-
|''[[Apodora]]''
|Kluge, 1993
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|0
|Papuan python
|Most of [[New Guinea]], from [[Misool]] to [[Fergusson Island]].
|-
|''[[Aspidites]]''
|[[Wilhelm Peters|Peters]], 1877
|align="center"|2
|align="center"|0
|
|Australia except in the south of the country.
|-
|''[[Bothrochilus]]''
|[[Leopold Fitzinger|Fitzinger]], 1843
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|0
|Bismark ringed python
|The islands of the [[Bismark Archipelago]], including [[Umboi Island|Umboi]], [[New Britain]], Gasmata (off the southern coast), [[Duke of York Island, Papua New Guinea|Duke of York]] and nearby Mioko, [[New Ireland (island)|New Ireland]] and nearby Tatau (off the east coast), the [[New Hanover Island]]s and [[Nissan Island]].
|-
|''[[Leiopython]]''
|[[Ambrosius Arnold Willem Hubrecht|Hubrecht]], 1879
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|0
|D'Albert's water python
|Most of New Guinea (below 1200 m), including the islands of [[Salawati]] and [[Biak]], [[Normanby Island, Papua New Guinea|Normanby]], [[Mussau Island|Mussau]], as well as a few islands in the [[Torres Strait]].
|-
|''[[Liasis]]''
|[[John Edward Gray|Gray]], 1842
|align="center"|3
|align="center"|2
|
|[[Indonesia]] in the [[Lesser Sunda Islands]], east through New Guinea and in northern and western Australia.
|-
|''[[Morelia (genus)|Morelia]]''
|Gray, 1842
|align="center"|7
|align="center"|5
|
|From Indonesia in the [[Maluku Islands]], east through New Guinea, including the Bismark Archipelago and in Australia.
|-
|''[[Python (genus)|Python]]''<font size="-1"><sup>T</sup></font>
|[[François Marie Daudin|Daudin]], 1803
|align="center"|7
|align="center"|4
|Pythons
|[[Africa]] in the tropics south of the [[Sahara]] (not including southern and extreme southwestern [[Madagascar]]), [[Bangladesh]], [[Pakistan]], [[India]], [[Sri Lanka]], the [[Nicobar Islands]], [[Myanmar]], [[Indochina]], southern [[China]], [[Hong Kong]], [[Hainan]], the Malayan region of [[Indonesia]] and the [[Philippines]].
|-
|}
''*) Not including the nominate subspecies.''<br>
<font size="-1"><sup>T</sup></font>) [[Type genus]].<ref name="McD99"/>
==Taxonomy==
Pythons are more closely related to [[Boidae|boas]] than to any other snake-family. [[George Albert Boulenger|Boulenger]] (1890) considered this group to be a subfamily (Pythoninae) of the family [[Boidae]] (boas).<ref name="McD99"/>
==Gallery==
<gallery>
Image:Morelia spilota.jpg|Carpet python,<br/>''[[Morelia spilota]]''
Image:Morelia viridis.jpg|Green tree python,<br/>''[[Morelia viridis]]''
Image:Burmese Python 02.jpg|Albino Burmese python,<br/>''[[Python molurus bivittatus]]''
Image:Python breitensteini .jpg|Borneo short-tailed python,<br/>''[[Python curtus breitensteini]]''
Image:Leiopython albertisii.jpgWhite-lipped python,<br/>''Leiopython albertisii''
</gallery>
==See also==
* [[List of pythonid species and subspecies]]
* {{c|Pythonidae by common name}}
* {{c|Pythonidae by taxonomic synonyms}}
* [[List of snakes]], overview of all snake families and genera.
* [[Python (mythology)]], the oracular serpent of Delphi
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
{{wikispecies}}
{{Commons}}
* {{NRDB family|page=boidae.php|family=Boidae|date=3 November|year=2008}}
* [http://www.answers.com/topic/pythons-pythonidae-biological-family Pythons (Pythonidae)] at [http://www.answers.com/ Answers.com]. Accessed 3 November 2008.
{{Snake families}}
[[Category:Pythonidae| ]]
[[bn:অজগর]]
[[br:Naer-biton]]
[[bg:Питон]]
[[cs:Krajty]]
[[cy:Peithon]]
[[de:Pythons]]
[[es:Pythonidae]]
[[eo:Pitonedoj]]
[[fr:Python (serpent)]]
[[hi:अजगर]]
[[hr:Pitoni]]
[[it:Pythonidae]]
[[he:פיתוניים]]
[[ka:პითონები]]
[[lv:Pitonu dzimta]]
[[lt:Pitoniniai]]
[[hu:Pitonfélék]]
[[ms:Pythonidae]]
[[nl:Pythons]]
[[ja:ニシキヘビ科]]
[[no:Pytonslanger]]
[[pl:Pytony]]
[[pt:Pythonidae]]
[[ru:Питоны]]
[[simple:Python]]
[[sk:Pytónovité]]
[[fi:Pytonkäärmeet]]
[[sv:Pytonormar]]
[[tl:Sawa (python)]]
[[uk:Пітони]]
[[zh:蟒科]]
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