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Carpet python

carpet python (Morelia spilota)
Mount Glorious, Queensland
Photo © Stewart Macdonald
Morelia spilota - (Lacépède, 1804)
Pronunciation  more-AY-lee-ah   spill-OH-tah
Etymology  Morelia: unknown, but possibly after the town in Mexico.
spilota: 'spotted'.
Other names  Carpet snake
Inland rivers carpet python
Python spilotes 
 
Total length
Species avg: 240 cm
Reproduction
Oviparous
Clutch size
Average: 21
Range: 7 - 54
Length and clutch size information comes from a variety of sources, but primarily from Shine (1991) and Cogger (2000).
Description Distribution Natural history Conservation Further information More photos

Range

Widespread across Australia. Also extralimital in lowland New Guinea.

Subspecies distributions
M. s. spilota - from about Gosford, New South Wales, south to north-eastern Victoria.
M. s. cheynei - the Wet Tropics bioregion of north-east Queensland.
M. s. imbricata - southern Western Australia, across the Nullarbor Plain into South Australia.
M. s. mcdowelli - eastern Australia, intergrading with M. s. spilota where they meet.
M. s. metcalfei - The Channel Country of central-western Queensland, and the Murray/Darling basin of inland New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.
M. s. variegata - The Kimberley region, Western Australia, the top end of the Northern Territory, and Cape York Peninsula. Also occurs in New Guinea.

Found in the following Australian states/territories

Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia

Habitat

Wide variety of habitats, from the deserts of central Australia to the rainforests of north Queensland.

Notes and disclaimer
This information may not be complete. While all care is taken to ensure the accuracy of the information in this page, primary sources should always be consulted for definitive information. Animals have an endearing habit of disobeying the rules, so the information on this page should be interpreted with a degree of flexibility.
The author and site operator accepts no responsibility for any losses or damages incurred through using this web site or the information contained herein. Don't get bitten by anything!
This page may be cited as:
  Morelia spilota at the Australian Reptile Online Database. Last updated 2019-05-09 14:28:28.
  Retrieved from http://arod.com.au/arod/?species=Morelia+spilota on the 19th of March, 2024.
Before citing information contained in AROD, please read our Citing AROD page.

Copyright notice
This page, its content and layout are copyright © 2007-2024 Stewart Macdonald / Ug Media, unless otherwise stated.
All photographs in The Australian Reptile Online Database are © the photographer and may not be reproduced in any form without the express written consent of the photographer.
No part of The Australian Reptile Online Database may be reproduced without written permission from Stewart Macdonald.
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