Black-Headed Python
Aspidites melanocephalus (Kreft, 1864)
Range: Northern Australia
Habitat: Dry Scrubland, Savannah, Forest, Agricultural Farmland
Diet: Lizards (especially skinks), Snakes, occasionally Birds or Mammals
Social Grouping: Solitary
Reproduction: Seasonally monogamous. Rarely engage in combat. 8-18 eggs approximately 9 centimeters long laid October or November. Females incubate them by coiling around them for the two month incubation period. Hatchlings are 60 centimeters long at birth, are sexually mature at 4-5 years (can be as early as 2.5 years in human care)
Lifespan: 20-30 Years
Conservation Status: Not Evaluated
- Body length 1.5-3 meters (females grow longer than males) with average weight 16 kilograms. Head size reduced and rostral area strengthened as adaptations for burrowing after prey
- Body coloration is sandy brown or yellow with irregular dark bands creating a striped appearance. The entire head and the first 20 scales of the neck are glossy black, resulting in their nickname of "tar pots." Juveniles tend to be more boldly marked than adults. There is also some variation in coloration across the range. For example, specimens from the Northern Territory/Queensland are darker with more intense striping
- The dark colored head allows the python to expose only its head when sunbathing, keeping the rest of its body hidden
- Along with the closely related woma python, these pythons lack the heat-sensing pits present in every other python species
- Primarily nocturnal, spend much of the day in burrows, either dug by themselves (Aspidites are the only pythons known to dig their own burrows) or other species, or in termite mounds. This allows the python to keep a constant body temperature and occupy a wide range of habitats
- They are immune to the venom of all Australian venomous snakes, which they prey upon
- Predators include dingoes and humans. They primarily rely on camouflage for defense. If threatened, the often keep their mouths closed when striking
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