Reticulated Python
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Context
- A juvenile reticulated python was sighted inside IIT Madras.
- Based on the description given to Guindy National Park authorities, the python is around 7 to 8 feet long.
Reticulated Python
About
- Reticulated pythons are the world’s longest and third-heaviest snakes after the green anaconda and Burmese python.
Range
- The reticulated python is a python species native to South and Southeast Asia.
- In India, they are found in the wild only in the Nicobar Islands.
Habitat
- The reticulated python lives in rainforests, woodlands, and nearby grasslands.
- It is also associated with rivers and is found in areas with nearby streams and lakes.
Characteristics
- It is an excellent swimmer, has been reported far out at sea, and has colonized many small islands within its range.
- Like all pythons, it is a non-venomous constrictor.
Conservation Status
- It is listed as least concern on the IUCN Red List because of its wide distribution.
Economic Importance
- In several countries in its range, it is hunted for its skin, for use in traditional medicine, and for sale as pets.
- Due to this, reticulated pythons are one of the most economically important reptiles worldwide.
Guindy National Park
About
- It is one of the last remnants of the tropical dry evergreen forest of the Coromandel Coast.
Location
- Guindy National Park is a protected area of Tamil Nadu, located in Chennai.
- It is the 8th-smallest National Park in India and one of the very few national parks situated inside a city.
Ecology
- The ecosystem consists of the rare tropical dry evergreen scrub and thorn forests receiving about 1200 mm of rainfall annually.
- This vegetation has been reclassified as the Albizia amara community.
Flora
- The park has a dry evergreen scrub and thorn forest, grasslands and water bodies.
- It has over 350 species of plants including shrubs, climbers, herbs and grasses and over 24 variety of trees, including the sugar-apple, Atlantia monophylla, wood-apple, and neem.
Fauna
- There are over 14 species of mammals including blackbuck, chital or spotted deer, jackal, small Indian civet, common palm civet, bonnet macaque, hyena, pangolin, hedgehog, common mongoose and three-striped palm squirrel.
- The park also has black-naped hare and several species of bats and rodents.
Flagship Species
- The near-threatened blackbuck, considered the flagship species of the park, was introduced in 1924 by Lord Willingdon and has seen a population decline in recent times.
- Both Blackbucks and Chitals were a native faunal element of the park.
PRACTICE QUESTION Q. Consider the following statements: 1. The reticulated python is a python species native to Africa. 2. It is an excellent swimmer and a non-venomous constrictor. 3. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List because of its wide distribution. Which of the above statements is/are correct? A) 1 and 3 only B) 2 only C) 2 and 3 only D) None Answer: B) 2 only PRACTICE QUESTION Q. Arrange the following locations from North to South: 1. Point Calimere Wildlife Sanctuary 2. Kelakkadu Wildlife Sanctuary 3. Guindy National Park 4. Mudumalai National Park Select the correct code from the options given below: [A] 3,4,1,2 [B] 2,4,3,1 [C] 3,4,2,1 [D] 4,3,2,1 Answer: [A] 3,4,1,2 |