animal stories

AGENCIES

Albino Burmese pythons are one of the six largest snakes in the world. These incredibly strong snakes are native to Southern and Southeast Asia. The Burmese pythons are very large and heavy-bodied snakes. Females are larger than males and often have different colouration.

Though Albino Burmese grow very large, generally have very gentle and deliberate temperaments. Their docile nature, quick growth rate and beautiful appearance make these snakes very popular among pet owners. They are not known to be aggressive and usually not a threat to humans if handled properly. They don’t have fangs but have back curving teeth that grab prey and don’t let it escape.

Characteristics

Albino Burmese pythons start their life as bright orange and yellow on a white background colour. As they mature, they become pastel yellow in colour. These pythons have long and heavy body with beautifully patterned skin. Pythons have two lungs, one of which is considerably smaller than the other. They have about 400 sets of ribs and a very flexible spine which allows them to move easily.

When young, they will spend much of their time in the trees. However, as they mature, tree climbing will be difficult because of their size and weight. So they transition to mainly ground-dwelling. They are also excellent swimmers, and can stay submerged for up to 30 minutes before surfacing for air.

Albino Burmese do not eat every day. They spend their mornings soaking up the sun’s warmth, enabling them to move around to look for food. Once they hunt for prey and eat, they spend the next several days or weeks keeping warm enough to digest their food.

These pythons have poor eyesight, and stalk prey using chemical receptors in their tongues and heat-sensors along the jaws. They kill by constriction, grasping a victim with their sharp teeth, coiling their bodies around the animal, and squeezing until it suffocates. They are solitary animals and are generally only seen together during mating season. Females lay clutches of up to 100 eggs, which they incubate for two to three months. They will remain with the eggs until they hatch, wrapping around them and twitching her muscles in such a way as to raise the ambient temperature around the eggs by several degrees. Once the hatchlings are out of their eggs, there is no further maternal care. The newly hatched will often remain inside their egg until they are ready to complete their first shedding of skin, after which they hunt for their first meal.

Size

Albino pythons grow about 16 to 23 feet in length and weight up to 90 kilos.

Feeding Habits

Albino Burmese are carnivorous and feed on birds and mammals. They swallow their whole prey. The jaws separate and allow them to take in an animal four to five times as wide as their head.

Habitat

These pythons are found in countries like Nepal, Bhutan, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, et cetera. They live near water and are sometimes semi-aquatic, but can also be found in trees. They can be found in grasslands, marshes, swamps, rocky foothills, woodlands and river valleys.

Lifespan

The life time of Albino Burmese is about 20 to 25 years.