Scrub python facts for kids

Morelia amethistina (also known as the amethystine python, scrub python or sanca permata) is a form of non-venomous python. It can be found in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Australia.

Some specimens of Morelia amethistina have been measured at up to 8.5 metres (27.9 feet) long, but normally they are only up to 5 metres long.

The diet of the Amethystine python is mostly birds, bats, rats, possums, and other small mammals. Some big Australian and Papuan varieties eat wallabies and cuscus.

Images for kids

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  A 3.2-m-long, intact amethystine python skin in Australia: The snake that shed this skin would be significantly shorter than 3.2 m, as the snake skin is folded on top of and below each scale. This causes a shed skin to be almost twice as long as the snake that shed it.

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  S. amethistina from the Bronx Zoo in New York City

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  Wild S. amethistina, North Queensland

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  Amethystine python near Cooktown, Queensland, Australia, 2014

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  Amethystine python visiting a kitchen at a home near Cooktown, Queensland, Australia, 2014