Woma+Python

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//Aspidites ramsayi// Order: Squamata

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Notes on Enrichment & Training


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Potential Messaging

 * Habitat destruction
 * Snakes are an important link in the food chain. They provide food for many bird and mammal species that prey on them. The main diet of most snakes is rodents. Therefore, snakes provide a very valuable service – pest control. Most snakes are non-venomous and will avoid humans if they can. Venomous snakes want to use their venom to kill small prey animals or to defend themselves; since humans are too big to be considered prey by most snakes, the best way to avoid a bite is not to make the snake feel threatened. Ask guests to avoid any snakes they may see in the wild and appreciate them from a distance. [][]

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=__Natural History Information__=

Range and Habitat
 Range: Australian interior from central Australia into the south-western edge of Queensland, and into northern South Australia. There is also one coastal area in north-eastern Australia around the Pilbara coast where this species is found.  Habitat: Inhabits arid zones, favoring open sand plains and dune fields.

Physical Description
The woma python is distinguished from other Australian pythons by its narrow head which is barely distinct from the neck. It has small eyes, smooth scales, a broad body and a thin tail. This species is colored grey, olive, brown, or rich red-brown above, with several darker olive brown to black cross-bands on the body. The sides are paler and the underside is a cream to yellow color, with pink or brown blotches. The woma python does not have heat sensitive pits bordering the mouth like other pythons.

Life Cycle
Womas breed from May to August and will lay their eggs anywhere hidden and humid enough so that the eggs and baby snakes don't dry out. Suitable locations for nests include rabbit warrens, hollow logs, etc. 5 to 19 eggs are deposited between September and October. The female coils around her clutch throughout the incubation period and may "shiver" if the eggs mass gets to cold, using muscular activity to generate heat. Once the young snakes hatch she leaves the nest. Incubation typically lasts 50-70 days.

Behavior
Woma pythons are terrestrial snakes that eat a variety of terrestrial invertebrates including small mammals, ground birds, and lizards. Woma pythons use the end of their narrow tail as a lure to attract prey. They wriggle the tip of their tail slowly, making it look like potential prey for other animals, catching them in their mouth if they venture close enough. Woma pythons are constrictors, but they catch much of their prey in burrows where there is not enough room to throw their coils around it. Instead the woma python pushes a loop of its body against the animal so it is crushed to death against the side of the burrow. Many adult woma pythons are covered in scars from retaliating rodents as this technique doesn't kill prey as quickly as normal constriction. Nocturnal - by day it shelters in hollow logs, animal burrows, or thick vegetation

Threats and Conservation Status
Listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List Populations have been affected by the clearing of habitat for agricultural development and grazing in Australia. Habitat loss not only removes the woma python's shelter, but also depletes the abundance of small vertebrates in the area. Predation by introduced foxes has also played a part in the woma python's decline in Australia. Although it is considered to be endangered, this snake will readily breed in captivity.

=__Did you know…__=
 * Also known as the Ramsay's python and sand python
 * The woma python is one of fifteen different species of python endemic to Australia.

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=__Contributors and Citations__=
 * The Phoenix Zoo
 * Houston Zoo, Natural Encounters