Reticulated Python Joins Reptile House

The Houston Zoo would like to give a warm-blooded welcome to the latest cold-blooded housemate to join our reptile family. She’s an 18-foot (5.4 m) long reticulated python, weighing in at 156 lbs (70 kg). Her species hails from Southeast Asia, but she is a native Texan herself. Her name is…well we haven’t found the perfect name yet.

Our latest beautiful python has not yet been given a name, but we’re excited to have her here. So far, she has made quite the impression on zoo guests with just her size alone. Eighteen feet of pure muscle can cause a stir in the reptile house. Her species can grow upwards of 28 feet in length and is known to the be longest of all snakes on earth.

The name “reticulated” was given to this species because of their patterns in their scales. These designs of yellow, brown, tan and black help reticulated pythons stay hidden from predators and allows them to attack prey in the shadows of the forests in Southeast Asia. Like all pythons, the reticulated python is a non-venomous constrictor that uses its body strength to kill prey. A typical diet for these reptiles consists of almost anything they can catch including rats, birds, pigs, and deer.

Please join us in welcoming this incredible animal, and we hope you will stop into our reptile building to see her on your next visit to the Houston Zoo.