Burmese Python

The largest snake in the world, the Burmese Python is a semi-aquatic, nocturnal species that lives close to the water as well as in trees. It is dark with brown blotches bordered in black. It is an expert swimmer, able to stay submerged for up to half an hour. It spends most of its time hidden in the underbrush and feeds on large mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians.

The Burmese Python has been known to eat pigs or goats when it reaches larges sizes. It seizes its prey using its sharp teeth and then wraps its body around its victim contracting its muscles to kill it by constriction. It has a fascinating digestive system that can adapt from a reduction in stomach volume and decreased digestion during periods of fasting to a rapid increase in stomach acid and a 40% increase in the mass of the heart to fuel digestion of larger meals.