A large South Asian python, paler and a touch shorter than its Burmese relative, equally at home in jungles and rocky hillsides.
Description
A heavy-bodied python usually 3 to 4 m long with a relatively pale tan or yellowish background and large brown blotches outlined in cream. The arrowhead marking on the top of the head is less defined than in the Burmese python, and the body tends to be slightly more slender.
Behavior
A patient ambush predator most active at dusk and night, the Indian python lies in wait near game trails before constricting prey ranging from langurs to chital deer. It swims well and shelters in caves, hollow trees, and abandoned burrows during the heat of the day.
Range
Native to the Indian subcontinent west of the Brahmaputra and south through Sri Lanka, generally below 2,000 m. Populations have declined under hunting pressure but the species remains widespread within protected areas.