DAILY INDIA (Chennai) 30 April 07 Rock Python a popular attraction in Chennai (Jaikumar)
Chennai (ANI): An Indian Rock Python at the Aringar Anna Vandalur Zoological Park in Chennai is drawing crowds, especially the animal lovers and kids, who are eager to have a glimpse of nearly 40 eggs laid by it last week.
An Indian rock python can grow to a length of about 20 feet (six meter). The longest python recorded was over 32 feet (9.8 meter) long.
As per herpetology, among the different varieties of python, the one found in India is named rock python. It is an arboreal snake, once fairly common throughout the jungles of India, Sri Lanka, and the East Indies.
The zoo administration has arranged facilities for hatching of the eggs.
According to Vandalur zoo officials, the said python is one of the longest snakes found in the world. It has bred frequently, the current hatching being the fifth occasion.
"This is one of the longest snakes in the world which is regularly breeding. It is fifth time that this python has laid eggs in the enclosure. The young ones will be hatching out on the 65th day," said Manimozhi, a biologist at the Vandalur Zoo.
Pythons lay eggs and then arrange them in a pile. They coil around the pile until all eggs are hatched. Since pythons cannot regulate their internal body temperature, they cannot incubate their eggs. They raise the temperature of their eggs by slight moments of their body.
The rare hatching event has attracted a lot of visitors with most of the visitors bringing their tiny-tots with them for this special view.
"I have visited many places like snake park and have seen many varieties of snake. This is the first time I am visiting Vandalur zoo.
I have seen an unusual sight with a python who has laid around 40 eggs, something I could not see before.
It is always better to bring children to see such sites because, otherwise, it is not possible to have such a real life experience," said Pushpa John, a visitor
The visiting children look eager to watch the python with its eggs.
"I have visited Vandalur zoo earlier also but this is the first time that I have seen a snake who has laid around 40 eggs. This is really astonishing," said Anaka, a young girl.
A python may live more than 20 years. They are solitary creatures, but males and females seek each other out to mate.
The female coils about her eggs to incubate them. Young pythons have many natural enemies like eagles, crocodiles, leopards and hyenas.
Like the boas and anacondas of the America, the python kills its prey by squeezing around it.
Mammals are the preferred prey, but pythons also eat birds and other animals including fish. They often live near water and are known to be good swimmers.
Pythons drape across tree branches, camouflaged by their light and dark patterned skin, waiting to ambush their next meal.
They grab their prey with a quick lashing of the head and then wrap themselves around the prey so it cannot breathe.
A large python can squeeze the life out of a deer, and amazingly enough, the python can then swallow a grown up deer. After such a big meal, the snake may not have to eat again for as long as a year.
Rock Python a popular attraction