Australian Scrub Python

The Australian scrub python is Australia’s largest snake and one of the longest in the world, capable of growing well over five metres in length. It belongs to the python family and is a non-venomous constrictor, relying on sheer muscular strength rather than venom to subdue its prey. Its thick, muscular body is typically olive to dark brown, often patterned with lighter blotches or bands that help it blend into the dense foliage of its rainforest habitat.

Found predominantly in the tropical rainforests of northeastern Queensland, this python prefers humid, lush environments and is an adept climber as well as a strong swimmer. It will often perch along branches or lie in ambush near trails and waterholes, waiting for unsuspecting prey to wander by. Despite its size and power, the scrub python is incredibly stealthy and can remain motionless for hours while hunting.

Its diet is diverse and includes mammals, birds, and reptiles. Larger individuals have been known to take wallabies and flying foxes. It kills by constriction, wrapping its coils around its prey and tightening with each breath the animal takes, quickly leading to suffocation.

Australian scrub pythons are solitary and primarily nocturnal, spending most of their time hidden from view. During the breeding season, males may engage in combat over females, intertwining and wrestling in a slow, powerful display. Females lay clutches of 10–25 eggs, guarding them fiercely until they hatch, often using body heat to help regulate temperature during incubation.

Despite their intimidating size, scrub pythons are generally shy and pose little threat to humans unless provoked. They play an important ecological role as apex predators in their environment, helping to control populations of other animals.

Did You Know?

The Australian scrub python has heat-sensing pits along its upper lip that allow it to detect the body heat of warm-blooded prey, even in complete darkness. This makes it a master nocturnal predator, especially in the dense rainforest where visibility is low.