HABITAT AND ECOLOGY The species occurs in rainforest, woodland and adjacent grassland areas. It is also associated with rivers and is often found near or in streams and lakes. Its habitat tolerances appear to vary across its range; it has been described as occurring in sewers in Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysian Borneo (L. Grismer, H. Jenkins and I. Das pers. comm. September 2011), but only from pristine forest in Myanmar (G. Wogan pers. comm. September 2011). This species is an excellent swimmer; it has even been reported far out at sea and has consequently colonized many small islands within its range. This was among the first species to colonize the recently-emerged island of Krakatau. The species is tolerant of highly modified habitat, and occurs in urban areas in some parts of its range. There are differences in timing of reproduction between subpopulations in northern and southern Sumatra (Shine et al. 1999). Females are larger than males, produce clutches containing an average of 24.2 eggs, and reproduce only once every two to four years (Shine et al. 1999). Fecundity also varies longitudinally, making it difficult to extrapolate figures obtained in one study to the remainder of this snake's wide range (M. Auliya pers. comm. 2011). Smaller individuals feed primarily on human commensal rodents and are abundant in human-modified habitats, including oil palm plantations (Nossal et al. 2016, Natusch et al. 2016a). Larger animals, greater than around 4 metres in length, are less well-suited to these habitats, as they require vegetated understoreys and prey on larger animals which are not associated with modified habitats (Shine et al. 1999, Natusch et al. 2016a).
This species has been recorded from many protected areas throughout its range, including multiple national parks. In some parts of its range such as Lao PDR, Viet Nam, and Cambodia, it is illegal to collect the species from the wild (D. Natusch pers. comm. 2018), and ensuring these regulations are enforced is warranted in areas where declines have been reported. In Viet Nam this species has been listed as Critically Endangered in the national Red Data Book (Dang et al. 2007). It is listed on CITES Appendix II (as Python reticulatus). It is a protected species in every Southeast Asian range state except Indonesia, although in some states (e.g. Malaysia) this protection may permit hunting with a permit (D. Natusch pers. comm. 2018). On the recommendation of the CITES Animals Committee, in 2011 this species was included in the next phase of the Review of Significant Trade; the result of that review was that this species' survival in the wild was not threatened by trade in any range state.
CLASS : Reptilia
ORDER : Squamata
FAMILY : Pythonidae
GENUS : Malayopython
SPECIES : Reticulated Python (Malayopython reticulatus (formerly as: Python reticulatus))
Conservation status : Least Concern
Update : 11 April 2017