The Children’s python is a small, non-venomous python native to northern Australia. It is a mostly nocturnal snake that is known for its calm nature, slender body, and beautiful patterning, which often includes shades of brown, reddish-brown, and darker blotches. Adults usually grow to a little over 3 feet long, though many are smaller.

Children’s pythons are highly adaptable and can live in a variety of habitats, from coastal woodlands and forests to rocky outcrops, escarpments, and drier inland areas. They often shelter in hollow logs, abandoned burrows, caves, crevices, and even trees. Like other pythons, they kill prey by constriction before swallowing it whole.

Did You Know?

The Children’s python is named after John George Children, a curator at the British Museum.