---
title: "Reticulated Python (Malayopython reticulatus) | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "The longest python, up to 33 feet of snake with black X's running down its back in a diamond-like pattern."
image: "https://animaltracks.wiki/images/animals/reticulated-python-1.webp"
published: "2026-09-01"
updated: "2026-09-24"
---
# Reticulated Python (*Malayopython reticulatus*)
> **Status**: Checked against 7 sources, listed under Sources below.
> **Tagline**: The longest python, up to 33 feet of snake with black X's running down its back in a diamond-like pattern.
> **Soundtrack Vibe**: Sludge Metal & Abyssal Doom // Russian Circles, "Harper Lewis"
> **Soundtrack Links**: [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/track/2iG7MCJdoM4NfvsK2AVgqY) | [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E22dmoQqSX4)
> **Vibe Match**: Tectonic bass drone and monumental drum builds that tighten slowly, for a snake whose constriction can squeeze the life out of an animal in around three to four minutes.
## Biological Superpowers & Stats
- **Taxonomy**: *Malayopython reticulatus*
- **Danger Level**: Deadly
- **Conservation Status**: Least Concern ([IUCN Red List](https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2018-2.rlts.t183151a1730027.en))
- **Superpower**: Extreme length, up to 33 feet (10 meters), plus heat-sensing pit organs that detect prey without necessarily seeing it.
- **Habitat**: Tropical rainforest, wetland, and grassland forest across Southeast Asia, close to water
- **Diet**: Small bats, tree shrews, deer, and even sun bears
- **Tags**: reptile, rainforest, freshwater, wetlands, apex-predator
## Natural History & Behavior
## The Longest Python
The reticulated python (*Malayopython reticulatus*) is one of the biggest snakes in the world. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance lists it as the longest python, at up to 33 feet (10 meters), and the heaviest, at up to 250 pounds (113 kilograms). According to Animal Diversity Web, females generally grow much larger than males. Black X's run along its back in a diamond-like pattern. It is native to Southeast Asia, from western Bangladesh to southeastern Vietnam and on the islands west of New Guinea, where it lives in rainforests, wetlands and grassland forests near water. Animal Diversity Web gives the longest known lifespan as 32 years in captivity and 23 years in the wild. The IUCN assessed it as Least Concern in 2011.
## Ambush, Then a Squeeze
A reticulated python uses water as cover, hiding in it before ambushing prey. Heat-sensing pit organs let it find prey without necessarily seeing it. Documented prey ranges from small bats and tree shrews up to deer and even sun bears. It uses its large size to constrict its prey, then swallows it whole. Predation on adults is very scarce and limited to crocodiles and other large predators, and against them its only defense besides size is constriction, which Animal Diversity Web says can squeeze the life out of an animal in around three to four minutes.
## Too Big for a King Cobra
The Burmese python, a relative in the genus *Python*, has evolved resistance to cobra neurotoxins: it replaced a negatively charged amino acid in its receptor with a positively charged one, which repels the toxins. A 2024 study found *Malayopython reticulatus* much less resistant, with its receptors still strongly bound by those toxins.
> **Outgrowing the threat**, a reticulated python is arboreal as a hatchling and juvenile, then rapidly grows into a terrestrial adult too big for a king cobra to consider as prey.
## Skins, Farms and People
A 2017 study described reticulated pythons as primarily harvested from the wild for their skins, citing approximately 350,000 skins legally exported each year for the high-end fashion market alone. The species is listed on CITES Appendix II, which allows commercial trade regulated through permits. On python farms in Thailand, young reticulated pythons gained an average of 5.2 grams a day, with individuals ranging from 0.24 to 19.7 grams a day depending on food intake. People have been its prey too: among 120 Agta in the Philippines, observed while they were still hunter-gatherers, 26 percent of adult men had survived predation attempts by reticulated pythons, and six fatal attacks occurred between 1934 and 1973.
## Frequently Asked Questions
### How big does a reticulated python actually get?
It depends on sex, because females generally grow much larger than males. Animal Diversity Web says the average female can grow up to about 6.1 meters and 90 kilograms, while the male averages about 4.5 meters long and up to 45 kilograms. *(Source: [Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan]())*
### How does a reticulated python find its prey?
By ambush. Animal Diversity Web describes it hiding in water, or under brush in wetlands, before ambushing prey. Its pit organs detect radiant heat and locate prey by its temperature relative to the surrounding area, so it can find prey and predators without necessarily seeing them. *(Source: [Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan]())*
### Is the reticulated python resistant to cobra venom?
Much less than its relatives. In some pythons, positive charges at the receptor that cobra neurotoxins bind push the toxins away. The Burmese python has three positively charged lysines there, the highest degree of resistance in a 2024 study, while the reticulated python's receptor was still strongly bound. The researchers tie that to its life: it lives in trees as a juvenile, then grows into a ground-dwelling adult too massive to be prey for even the largest king cobras. *(Source: [Chandrasekara et al. 2024]())*
### Have reticulated pythons ever preyed on humans?
Yes. A study of 120 Agta in the Philippines, observed while they were still hunter-gatherers, recorded six fatal attacks between 1934 and 1973. It ran both ways: the Agta ate pythons, as well as deer, wild pigs and monkeys that pythons also eat, so the researchers called the two species reciprocally prey, predators and potential competitors. *(Source: [Headland & Greene 2011]())*
## Sources
1. [Python reticulatus (Reticulated Python). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.]()
2. [Python. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.]()
3. [Stuart et al. (2018). Python reticulatus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T183151A1730027.]()
4. [Murray-Dickson et al. (2017). Phylogeography of the reticulated python (Malayopython reticulatus ssp.): Conservation implications for the worlds' most traded snake species. PLOS ONE.]()
5. [Natusch et al. (2024). Python farming as a flexible and efficient form of agricultural food security. Scientific Reports.]()
6. [Chandrasekara et al. (2024). High-Voltage Toxin'Roll: Electrostatic Charge Repulsion as a Dynamic Venom Resistance Trait in Pythonid Snakes. Toxins.]()
7. [Headland & Greene (2011). Hunter-gatherers and other primates as prey, predators, and competitors of snakes. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.]()
*Published September 1, 2026. Last updated September 24, 2026.*
```json
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@graph": [
{
"@type": "Article",
"@id": "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/reticulated-python/#article",
"isPartOf": {
"@id": "https://animaltracks.wiki/#website"
},
"headline": "Reticulated Python (Malayopython reticulatus) | AnimalTracks.wiki",
"description": "The longest python, up to 33 feet of snake with black X's running down its back in a diamond-like pattern.",
"image": [
"https://animaltracks.wiki/images/animals/reticulated-python-1.webp"
],
"datePublished": "2026-09-01",
"dateModified": "2026-09-24",
"author": [
{
"@type": "Organization",
"name": "AnimalTracks.wiki Editorial Team",
"url": "https://animaltracks.wiki"
}
],
"publisher": {
"@type": "Organization",
"@id": "https://animaltracks.wiki/#organization",
"name": "AnimalTracks.wiki",
"url": "https://animaltracks.wiki",
"logo": {
"@type": "ImageObject",
"url": "https://animaltracks.wiki/icon-512.png"
}
},
"mainEntityOfPage": "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/reticulated-python/",
"citation": [
{
"@type": "CreativeWork",
"name": "Python reticulatus (Reticulated Python)",
"url": "https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Python_reticulatus/",
"publisher": {
"@type": "Organization",
"name": "Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan"
}
},
{
"@type": "CreativeWork",
"name": "Python",
"url": "https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/python",
"publisher": {
"@type": "Organization",
"name": "San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance"
}
},
{
"@type": "ScholarlyArticle",
"name": "Python reticulatus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T183151A1730027",
"url": "https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2018-2.rlts.t183151a1730027.en",
"author": "Stuart et al.",
"datePublished": "2018",
"isPartOf": {
"@type": "Periodical",
"name": "The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species"
},
"identifier": "doi:10.2305/iucn.uk.2018-2.rlts.t183151a1730027.en"
},
{
"@type": "ScholarlyArticle",
"name": "Phylogeography of the reticulated python (Malayopython reticulatus ssp.): Conservation implications for the worlds' most traded snake species",
"url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0182049",
"author": "Murray-Dickson et al.",
"datePublished": "2017",
"isPartOf": {
"@type": "Periodical",
"name": "PLOS ONE"
},
"identifier": "doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0182049"
},
{
"@type": "ScholarlyArticle",
"name": "Python farming as a flexible and efficient form of agricultural food security",
"url": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-54874-4",
"author": "Natusch et al.",
"datePublished": "2024",
"isPartOf": {
"@type": "Periodical",
"name": "Scientific Reports"
},
"identifier": "doi:10.1038/s41598-024-54874-4"
},
{
"@type": "ScholarlyArticle",
"name": "High-Voltage Toxin'Roll: Electrostatic Charge Repulsion as a Dynamic Venom Resistance Trait in Pythonid Snakes",
"url": "https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins16040176",
"author": "Chandrasekara et al.",
"datePublished": "2024",
"isPartOf": {
"@type": "Periodical",
"name": "Toxins"
},
"identifier": "doi:10.3390/toxins16040176"
},
{
"@type": "ScholarlyArticle",
"name": "Hunter-gatherers and other primates as prey, predators, and competitors of snakes",
"url": "https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1115116108",
"author": "Headland & Greene",
"datePublished": "2011",
"isPartOf": {
"@type": "Periodical",
"name": "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences"
},
"identifier": "doi:10.1073/pnas.1115116108"
}
],
"about": {
"@type": "Taxon",
"name": "Reticulated Python",
"scientificName": "Malayopython reticulatus",
"description": "Extreme length, up to 33 feet (10 meters), plus heat-sensing pit organs that detect prey without necessarily seeing it."
}
},
{
"@type": "FAQPage",
"@id": "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/reticulated-python/#faq",
"mainEntity": [
{
"@type": "Question",
"name": "How big does a reticulated python actually get?",
"acceptedAnswer": {
"@type": "Answer",
"text": "It depends on sex, because females generally grow much larger than males. Animal Diversity Web says the average female can grow up to about 6.1 meters and 90 kilograms, while the male averages about 4.5 meters long and up to 45 kilograms.",
"citation": {
"@type": "CreativeWork",
"name": "Python reticulatus (Reticulated Python)",
"url": "https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Python_reticulatus/",
"publisher": {
"@type": "Organization",
"name": "Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan"
}
}
}
},
{
"@type": "Question",
"name": "How does a reticulated python find its prey?",
"acceptedAnswer": {
"@type": "Answer",
"text": "By ambush. Animal Diversity Web describes it hiding in water, or under brush in wetlands, before ambushing prey. Its pit organs detect radiant heat and locate prey by its temperature relative to the surrounding area, so it can find prey and predators without necessarily seeing them.",
"citation": {
"@type": "CreativeWork",
"name": "Python reticulatus (Reticulated Python)",
"url": "https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Python_reticulatus/",
"publisher": {
"@type": "Organization",
"name": "Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan"
}
}
}
},
{
"@type": "Question",
"name": "Is the reticulated python resistant to cobra venom?",
"acceptedAnswer": {
"@type": "Answer",
"text": "Much less than its relatives. In some pythons, positive charges at the receptor that cobra neurotoxins bind push the toxins away. The Burmese python has three positively charged lysines there, the highest degree of resistance in a 2024 study, while the reticulated python's receptor was still strongly bound. The researchers tie that to its life: it lives in trees as a juvenile, then grows into a ground-dwelling adult too massive to be prey for even the largest king cobras.",
"citation": {
"@type": "ScholarlyArticle",
"name": "High-Voltage Toxin'Roll: Electrostatic Charge Repulsion as a Dynamic Venom Resistance Trait in Pythonid Snakes",
"url": "https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins16040176",
"author": "Chandrasekara et al.",
"datePublished": "2024",
"isPartOf": {
"@type": "Periodical",
"name": "Toxins"
},
"identifier": "doi:10.3390/toxins16040176"
}
}
},
{
"@type": "Question",
"name": "Have reticulated pythons ever preyed on humans?",
"acceptedAnswer": {
"@type": "Answer",
"text": "Yes. A study of 120 Agta in the Philippines, observed while they were still hunter-gatherers, recorded six fatal attacks between 1934 and 1973. It ran both ways: the Agta ate pythons, as well as deer, wild pigs and monkeys that pythons also eat, so the researchers called the two species reciprocally prey, predators and potential competitors.",
"citation": {
"@type": "ScholarlyArticle",
"name": "Hunter-gatherers and other primates as prey, predators, and competitors of snakes",
"url": "https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1115116108",
"author": "Headland & Greene",
"datePublished": "2011",
"isPartOf": {
"@type": "Periodical",
"name": "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences"
},
"identifier": "doi:10.1073/pnas.1115116108"
}
}
}
]
},
{
"@type": "MusicRecording",
"name": "Harper Lewis",
"byArtist": {
"@type": "MusicGroup",
"name": "Russian Circles"
},
"genre": "Sludge Metal & Abyssal Doom",
"url": "https://open.spotify.com/track/2iG7MCJdoM4NfvsK2AVgqY"
}
]
}
```