Rock Python also called the African Rock Python large nonvenomous snake of sub-Saharan Africa. It’s one of Africa’s largest snake one of the six largest snake species in the world. This type of specimen exceeds 6m.the snake is found in variety of habitats from forests to nearby deserts although near by the source of water. The snake is dormant during the dry season. African Rock python kills it’s pray by constriction they often eat animals with the size of antelopes, although their spotted eating crocodiles.

Rock Python lay eggs, where by the female protects her nest even her hatchings. The Rock python is worldwide feared, although it rarely kills humans .Although the snake is not endangered species, the snake faces threats from hunting and reduction.

The African Rock python is in the genus, there are large constriction snakes that are found in the moist tropics of Africa and Asia.

Rock Python is Africa’s largest snake species one of the world’s largest ,typical Rock python measuring  about 3 to 3.53m including the tail, the unusually large specimen exceeds 4.8m.they weight about 44 to 55 kg per study although adults are expected to weigh 32.2kg.The largest specimen may weigh 91kg and more.

The male Rock pythons are smaller than females. The body of a rock python is thicker with different colored blotches. Their body markings are between brown, olive, chestnut and yellow although they fade to white on the underside. Its head is triangular with dark brown “spear head”. The Teeth are so many and backwardly curved; they have eyes on the head and under them their triangular markings.

 The scale of the python is small and smooth. Others are found around the lips possessing the heat-sensitive pits that help them to detect warm-blooded prey even in the dark areas. Pythons have lungs unlike other types of snakes with one lung that are even smaller.

The southern subspecies is distinguished by smaller size with smaller scales on top of the head .African Rock python is found throughout the sub-Saharan Africa. Countries  including Uganda, Ethiopia, Senegal, Namibia, Somalia, Kenya and South Africa.

Rock Python   inhabits wide range of habitats, including grassland, rocky areas, semi desert, and savanna. The areas are typically stored in water, as well as on the edges of rivers, lakes and swamps. The snake adapts to disturbed habitats that are often found around human habitation.

FEEDING

A python are nonvenomous and kills its prey by constriction. It will grip the prey and coil around it thus leading to tighten whenever the prey breathes out. African rock python feeds on a variety of large warthogs, antelopes, monkeys, bats, monkeys, goats, dogs, rats, poultry and crocodiles in different forest areas. Sometimes pythons eat the cubs of lions, cheetahs, leopards, hyenas, puppies of wild dogs such as jackals and hunting dogs. However their very rare, as the big cats usually   fend them off or easily kill them. The python can as well kill larger preys that are more dangerous this was researched on when the python killed a hyenas weighing about 68 kg.

REPRODUCTION

Rock pythons are oviparous, that lay between 20 and 100 hard-shelled, elongated eggs in an old animal burrow, cave or termite mound.

Female are able to show maternal care by coiling around the eggs, as a way of protecting them from predators, not until they hatch around 90 days. Females guard hatchlings for about two weeks after hatching from their eggs to protect them from their predators this act is rear for pythons and snakes.

Hatchlings are between 45 and 60 cm in length and appear virtually identical to adults living for over 12 years in captivity.

CONSERVATION

Often Pythons are fearful of large pythons which might be killed on sight. African rock python are threatened by hunting leather.

African Rock pythons habitats are threatened by humans for example the rainforest habitats and Mangrove forest the communities are under serious threat from habitat destruction and exploration for oil industry. African rock Pythons are common in different regions across Africa, as long as their food available.