Mostly Nocturnal, Inoffensive, Non-venomous… Diamond Pythons

By Keith Hutton on March 22, 2016 in Other

Photo: Keith Hutton

It was a surprise to read of a big snake run over and killed recently on South Dowling Street adjacent to Moore Park. The impressive reptile was identified as a Diamond Python, the only python that occurs naturally in the Sydney Region. Because of its inoffensive, non-venomous nature and appealing skin colours and pattern, it is also among the most sought after reptiles kept in captivity by enthusiasts. Consequently, this unfortunate snake was considered to be an escaped pet, or maybe an unlucky hitchhiker that had curled up in the engine bay of a motor vehicle and unfortunately dropped off in peak hour traffic.

However, there is an alternative possibility: it may be that a few pythons still remain wild in the Eastern Suburbs. An extensive green area encompassing Moore Park, Centennial Parklands, Randwick Racecourse and the golf courses and parks south of Gardeners Road could, in theory, support a resident population of Diamond Pythons with plenty of food and suitable habitat.

Adult Diamond Pythons are neither robust nor slender, with an average length around two metres. Healthy ones in good condition are impressive reptiles. They are big, attractive snakes with upperparts shiny black or dark olive-green. Some scales are spotted yellow or cream and arranged in uniform diamond-shaped clusters, each inside a black border, along the whole length of the upper body. Underparts are cream or whitish with dark markings. Pythons have distinct necks and small irregular head scales, unlike common venomous snakes, which have indistinct necks and large plate-like scales on their heads.

Diamond Pythons have the most southerly distribution of any python worldwide. They occur only in coastal south-eastern Australia from the north-eastern Victoria border to Coffs Harbour, and west to the Great Dividing Range. They live in a variety of habitats and are adept climbers that usually favour rainforest, other heavily timbered areas and rocky places. They find shelter in hollow trunks and limbs, disused burrows, caves, rock crevices, and beneath boulders. In urban areas they occasionally occupy out buildings and suburban roof spaces. They are mostly nocturnal but bask in early morning and late afternoon sun, and are often active on warm overcast days.

Birds, reptiles and mammals as big as fruit bats, rodents and possums are all on the menu for hungry pythons, which are ambush predators and patiently maintain a strike position for extended periods adjacent to likely spots. Passing prey is caught by striking with lightning speed, enveloped in muscular coils, subdued by constriction, and asphyxiated before being swallowed. Sharp backward pointing teeth, powerful jaws and relentless tightening coils are usually more than enough to prevent escape.

Diamond Pythons are affected by habitat destruction, specifically land clearing and development; also road kills, collection for the illegal pet trade, and tidying up and removal of old habitat trees. They are not as widespread in Sydney as they used to be, but despite the threats are still considered common in NSW, and of least conservation concern.