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Eastern Carpet Python

Morelia spilota mcdowelli

Photo by AliceGreenup
Published on Project Noah
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Field Notes

Description:

This is a subspecies of Morelia spilota and usually attains lengths of 2.7-over 3 m in length(9–10 feet). The scales along the lower jaw are pitted, olive brown with darker blotches and stripes. The pattern and colour are variable. Midbody scales in 40-60 rows, single anal scale subcaudal scales divided. Most of the head scales are small beadlike and arranged irregularly.

Habitat:

Spotted right outside my back door, curled in a corner behind a pot. Then moved into one of the remnant rainforest patches in my backyard.

Notes:

This guy was one of the biggest i've seen around here! Over 2m in length but not particularly fat. Very beautiful markings. Common sight where i live however rarely found next to house & i usually don't have my camera on me when i spot them.

Reference Links:

Morelia spilota mcdowelli

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (27)
LeanneGardner
Congratulations again Alice. Really beautiful snake & great photos too. Well done!
AliceGreenup
Thanks Daniele and surekha!! Yours is a beauty Daniele!
surekha
Wonderful series and story, Alice! Congratulations!
DanielePralong
Congrats on your SOTD Alice! Great series of shots. Every coastal Australian seems to have a story with these :-) Here's mine: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/10195295
AliceGreenup
Thanks so much Noel, Mac & Leuba! Greatly appreciated! It's a great place to live Neil, the majority of my spottings were seen in my backyard, not to mention all the national parks around! We have veggies & chooks and it's the perfect environment for them, if you make the move i have no doubt you'd love it!
Leuba Ridgway
Great spotting and what a handsome snake. Just outside your door, too. Congratulations on your SOTD, Alice and thanks for sharing pics and your story.
Noel Buensuceso
Beautiful spot and series, Alice! Congratulations for the SOTD!
Neil Ross
I'm not surprised you have so many snakes considering your location. Lucky you, living in God's country. In I hope not too many years, I plan on moving down that way and find a patch of earth somewhere near Mt. Warning, or somewhere in the caldera. Grow veges and have some chooks... and a goat. Pythons watch out, I'm on my way!
AliceGreenup
My dad was bitten on the hand by one and it wasn't a pleasant experience!
AliceGreenup
That was a great spotting Neil! And I loved the story! Unlike mine yours looked like shed had a good feed! Mine was quite skinny. Where I live you can almost expect to see a snake every few weeks so I'm quite use to them just not so close to the house! Just last week I saw another one further into my property and it had the most beautiful markings!! Unfortunately I didn't have my camera and the snake wasn't waiting for me! This one was wedged behind a pot at the backdoor right where my dogs are tied up during the day, luckily they didn't get too close, they're small dogs and I wouldn't put it past a hungry snake to try. No doubt I'll see it around again soon.
Neil Ross
This is truly awesome! What a beautiful animal, and excellent photos. Congratulations on your SOTD, Alice. I had a similar experience at my place in 2011, just weeks after the Brisbane Flood. I met my python on the path outside the house late one evening. I just about trod on her, and I discovered I could fly that night!!! I decided it was a 'her' because she was so beautiful. She quite literally had a Mexican stand-off with two of my cats, and not one of them budged an inch or blinked. This went on for about 15 minutes. A remarkable experience and my first encounter with a wild python. http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/22182351
AliceGreenup
Thanks hema! No not really at all, we've just come into autum here so about 26 degrees yesterday which is not really hot at all for around here . I wondered the same thing! There's quite a bit of remnant/ newly planted rainforest In my yard, less than ten metres from my back door and we quite often will see tree snakes and venomous ones slithering across the cement from one garden to another but never stay there! I've also seen pythons many, many times here but never coiled up by the backdoor. It's quite a mystery :)
HemaShah
Was it very warm out there? it often makes me wonder why a snake would show up at the door step. i have had one on a very hot day. Maybe he needed to cool off. they could be lost,looking for a place to moult?
HemaShah
Congrats Alice and thanks for all the help with the hammerhead worm. Your snake is a beauty!!
AliceGreenup
Wow! Thanks a lot!! I'm honored! He was one of the prettiest i've seen around here!
athenabkk
Stunning, thanks for posting it up
Mark Ridgway
Wonderful neighbour to share your chicken with. Congratulations Alice.
KarenL
Congratulations Alice, your beautiful carpet python is Spotting of the Day! Our members travel far and wide in search of organisms, but this beauty was found coiled up by Alice’s back door! Facebook: https://upload.facebook.com/projectnoah/photos/a.10150595289465603.674700.10150120463815603/10153896211760603/?type=1&stream_ref=10 Twitter: https://twitter.com/projectnoah/status/441779401399599105
AliceGreenup
Thats what im worried about with chickens but it was his home first and I got chickens knowing the risk!! I was amazed too! I wasnt even really aware of all the subspecies, we'd always just called them carpet pythons. Always good to learn more :)
Mark Ridgway
Fabulous find. Thin means hungry. I was amazed to discover these guys (different subspecies) exist in Vic and Tas too. That's changed my focus in the bush. :-)

Spotted for Missions

Mission
Snakes of the World
Mission
Flora & Fauna of New South Wales
Photographed
PublishedMarch 6, 2014

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