Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I consider myself an expert on snakes but this one stumped me. I just received this python today from someone who could not care for her anymore. Over the phone he told me that she was a "Madagascar Rainbow Python." Now knowing there is no such species I was intrigued in what he actually had. He said that he acquired her from a friend who in turn got her from an exotic animal importer. When he dropped her off and took her out of the bag I was stunned ~ in my twenty plus years of working with herp's I have never seen a python like this. The snake is nine years old and approx. five feet in length. As seen in the photo the snake has an iridescent sheen to it when in the sun. At second glance I thought it could be a water python of some kind, but I thought water pythons grow fairly large. The snake is very slender resembling an arboreal species. Any help on ID "ing" this snake will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Brian Kleinman
Owner/Operator
Riverside Reptiles
www.riversidereptiles.com

Macklott's Python. I would contact Dave and Tracy Barker they could give you a positive ID.

>>I consider myself an expert on snakes but this one stumped me. I just received this python today from someone who could not care for her anymore. Over the phone he told me that she was a "Madagascar Rainbow Python." Now knowing there is no such species I was intrigued in what he actually had. He said that he acquired her from a friend who in turn got her from an exotic animal importer. When he dropped her off and took her out of the bag I was stunned ~ in my twenty plus years of working with herp's I have never seen a python like this. The snake is nine years old and approx. five feet in length. As seen in the photo the snake has an iridescent sheen to it when in the sun. At second glance I thought it could be a water python of some kind, but I thought water pythons grow fairly large. The snake is very slender resembling an arboreal species. Any help on ID "ing" this snake will be greatly appreciated.
>>
>>Thanks,
>>
>>Brian Kleinman
>>Owner/Operator
>>Riverside Reptiles
>>www.riversidereptiles.com
>>
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Roberts Realm Of Reptile Research
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Thanks,

I opened my mouth and out flowed a melody black.

That's a Freckled or Macklott's Python (Liasis mackloti). They are sometimes called Indonesian or even Moluccan Water Pythons which is where the person may have become confused.

As for the "Madagascan Rainbow Python"....have you ever played the game "telephone" with kids? Same principle. LOL
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Chris Harrison
San Antonio, Texas

It does look like Liasis macklotti, but in my research it says females of this species average around seven to eight feet and weigh 12-16 pounds. This snake is nine years old and only five feet long and 1 pound at the most. Wouldn't a nine year old L.macklotti be a lot larger? Is there a dwarf subspecies?

Brian

Did you probe it.
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What goes up must come down...unless it exceeds escape velocity.

If it wasn't properly cared for(I'm not saying that it wasn't), its growth could have been stunted.
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Matt Kauffman

I was thinking the same thing, Matt. Not accusing, but it is a definite possibility. In fact, just putting the snake on a lower than normal feeding schedule could do that. The snake would remain healthy, just not attain its potential size. I believe there have been some studies that suggest that over-feeding can be detrimental to a snake's health & longevity.

~~Greg~~

It's a girl! I emailed Dave Barker at VPI and he said his 9 year female macloti were around 20 pounds, sometimes 30 pounds. So if she truly is a Macklott's Python and she is truly 9 years old, she must be the smallest 9 year old female Macklott's python in history!

Thanks to you all for your responses,

Brian

>>
>>As for the "Madagascan Rainbow Python"....have you ever played the game "telephone" with kids? Same principle. LOL
>>-----
>>Chris Harrison
>>San Antonio, Texas

And, sometimes, one person can play that game all by themselves. Years ago, a girlfriend and I were planning to go to the Houston zoo. Her mother told us that she read an article in the paper about a new "Monkey snake" the zoo had gotten that we should be sure and see. "Monkey snake" wasn't a type of snake I was familiar with.

Halfway on the drive to the zoo, I figured out what she really meant. Monkey ---> Baboon ---> Gaboon. Sure enough, the zoo had a new Gaboon viper.

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