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Reticulated Python

11th October, 2023

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Context

  • A juvenile reticulated python was sighted inside IIT Madras.
  • Based on the description given to Guindy National Park authorities, the python is around 7 to 8 feet long.

Reticulated Python

About

  • Reticulated pythons are the world’s longest and third-heaviest snakes after the green anaconda and Burmese python.

Range

  • The reticulated python is a python species native to South and Southeast Asia.
  • In India, they are found in the wild only in the Nicobar Islands.

Habitat

  • The reticulated python lives in rainforests, woodlands, and nearby grasslands.
  • It is also associated with rivers and is found in areas with nearby streams and lakes.

Characteristics

  • It is an excellent swimmer, has been reported far out at sea, and has colonized many small islands within its range.
  • Like all pythons, it is a non-venomous constrictor.

Conservation Status

  • It is listed as least concern on the IUCN Red List because of its wide distribution.

Economic Importance

  • In several countries in its range, it is hunted for its skin, for use in traditional medicine, and for sale as pets.
  • Due to this, reticulated pythons are one of the most economically important reptiles worldwide.

Guindy National Park

About

  • It is one of the last remnants of the tropical dry evergreen forest of the Coromandel Coast.

Location

  • Guindy National Park is a protected area of Tamil Nadu, located in Chennai.
  • It is the 8th-smallest National Park in India and one of the very few national parks situated inside a city.

Ecology

  • The ecosystem consists of the rare tropical dry evergreen scrub and thorn forests receiving about 1200 mm of rainfall annually.
  • This vegetation has been reclassified as the Albizia amara community.

Flora

  • The park has a dry evergreen scrub and thorn forest, grasslands and water bodies.
  • It has over 350 species of plants including shrubs, climbers, herbs and grasses and over 24 variety of trees, including the sugar-apple, Atlantia monophylla, wood-apple, and neem.

Fauna

  • There are over 14 species of mammals including blackbuck, chital or spotted deer, jackal, small Indian civet, common palm civet, bonnet macaque, hyena, pangolin, hedgehog, common mongoose and three-striped palm squirrel.
  • The park also has black-naped hare and several species of bats and rodents.

Flagship Species

  • The near-threatened blackbuck, considered the flagship species of the park, was introduced in 1924 by Lord Willingdon and has seen a population decline in recent times.
  • Both Blackbucks and Chitals were a native faunal element of the park.

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q. Consider the following statements:

1.    The reticulated python is a python species native to Africa.

2.    It is an excellent swimmer and a non-venomous constrictor.

3.    It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List because of its wide distribution.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

A) 1 and 3 only

B) 2 only

C) 2 and 3 only

D) None

Answer: B) 2 only

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q. Arrange the following locations from North to South:

1. Point Calimere Wildlife Sanctuary

2. Kelakkadu Wildlife Sanctuary

3. Guindy National Park

4. Mudumalai National Park

Select the correct code from the options given below:

[A] 3,4,1,2

[B] 2,4,3,1

[C] 3,4,2,1

[D] 4,3,2,1

Answer: [A] 3,4,1,2