Fun Angolan Python Facts For Kids

These beautiful snakes native to South Africa are one of the smaller python species. Although they make excellent pets they used to be considered widely unavailable because their habitat is quite inaccessible to humans and even catching sight of them used to be close to a miracle, let alone capturing them. However, with the progress of trade ways, they are relatively easier to find nowadays. It is also called Anchieta's dwarf python after Jose Alberto de Oliveira Anchieta, a Portuguese explorer and naturalist who first introduced this species to the world. Want to know more interesting facts about this snake? We suggest you keep reading on.

If you like reading fun facts about pythons, then check out our royal python and reticulated python facts too.

What type of animal is an Angolan Python?

As evident by the name, the Angolan python is a type of python that is native to South Africa. They are thought to be closely related to the ball python. The Angolan pythons are one of the rarer python species in the world. It is very difficult to catch sight of them in the wild as well as in captivity.

What class of animal does an Angolan Python belong to?

Like all snakes in the world, the Angolan pythons are reptiles. These snakes are known to lay eggs rather than giving birth to live babies. They are the only species of pythons to possess head scales that are bead-like in appearance.

How many Angolan Pythons are there in the world?

It is hard to say just how many of these snakes are crawling around South Africa, but it can be assumed that their population is thriving in their natural habitat, as they are listed as Least Concern species in the IUCN red list. There are also no subspecies found of the Angolan pythons in the world.

Where does an Angolan Python live?

These snakes are found in the eastern part of the Namibia desert, from southern Angola to the north of Namibia. Although, strangely the population of this species in the Namibian range is quite larger than in Angola. This area can go years without a single drop of rain, and the temperatures can range anywhere from 32-122 °F (0-50 °C). In captivity, you can decorate their enclosure with plants common to the arid plains and rocky shelves and croppings.

What is an Angolan Python's habitat?

These shy snakes like to spend their time hiding in rocky outcroppings, and crevices. This habit could be attributed to their natural habitat having so little precipitation that they often have to seek refuge in the relatively cooler rocky outcroppings to get away from the high temperature and receive some sort of humidity. In captivity, you can add some damp moss to their enclosure for a little more humidity. You can also create sheds for them in the python's enclosure, making these beautiful reptiles more comfortable in their surroundings.

Who do Angolan Pythons live with?

Like most large snake species, these pythons are mostly solitary, but little is known about the otherwise behavior of the Anchieta's dwarf python due to their rareness. They are known to live so far away from human-inhabited places, that it is almost a miracle to even catch sight of them let alone study them in their natural surroundings.

How long does an Angolan Python live?

Angolan pythons are known to live a long life if taken care of properly. On average they live for about 30 years, but that can increase if it is in great care. The Angolan python care routine is pretty easy to follow. Feeding them is very easy, you only have to feed them a small to medium-sized rodent once a week, and for adults, a large animal every two weeks works fine, or you can even keep them in the same routine. You can decorate their enclosure with some moss for some more humidity. Create two separated portions in the cage, one with moderate heat and the other with the lower spectrum of the recommended temperature. You can add sheds in both portions, which might make them more comfortable in their surroundings.

How do they reproduce?

These pythons are known for breeding annually, and the breeding season generally occurs during October. You can help initiate this process in captivity by dropping the enclosure temperature 10 degrees every night for about two weeks. During this time the temperature during the daylight hours should not exceed 78-80 °F (25.6-26.7 °C). These snakes lay eggs pretty fast after breeding, and there are about four to five eggs per clutch, which take about 70 days to hatch. It is unclear whether these snakes incubate the eggs or not as studying them at length during their breeding season has not been possible due to their rareness.

What is their conservation status?

These reptiles are listed as a species of Least Concern in the IUCN red list of endangered animals. So, it would be fair to assume that their numbers are thriving in their natural habitat in Angola in Southern Africa. Python anchietae is their scientific name.

What do Angolan Pythons look like?

This python is one of the relatively smaller pythons in body size, yet extremely strong. They appear quite similar in appearance to their closely related cousin the ball python but are different in temperament. This python has head scales that look almost bead-like and feels bumpy to the touch. They possess this type of scale because they get so little moisture in their native lands and this skin pattern helps them keep some of that humidity stored in them. These scales are often reddish-brown or almost black in color with pale yellow or cream-colored patterns weaved through them. They have five heat-sensing pits located on each side of their face that help them to find prey during their hunts. Their eyes are larger in proportion to their relatively smaller heads, giving them a perpetual bug-eyed expression.

How cute are they?

This reptile is actually one of the rarer as well as smaller python species out there. They look quite cute with their unique pattern of scales that look like someone has glued them on their skin. They are sometimes confused with their closely related but more widespread cousins the ball pythons who are native to the West and Central Africa. This reptile on the other hand lives in a very short range in Southern Africa.

How do they communicate?

This snake is among one of the rarest python species out there, so very little is known about how they communicate. They have heat-sensing pits on their face which helps them to locate their food. In captivity, they have also been noticed to deal fairly well with gentle handling. However, try not to touch their head unless this snake is completely comfortable around you, as that can be misinterpreted as a threatening gesture. Another thing you can do to make them more comfortable in their surroundings is to always keep their enclosure in recommended temperatures.

How big is an Angolan Python?

Angolan pythons are actually one of the smaller python species out there, and their range length is about 48-72 in (122-183 cm), which is about the same size as a Bison. Interesting, right?

How fast can an Angolan Python move?

It is hard to say just how fast the Angolan pythons can move, but since they do not really have to chase their food it can be assumed that their speed is not very high. Pythons in general can move at the speed of only about 1 mph (1.6 kph), so not very fast.

How much does an Angolan Python weigh?

This snake is one of the smaller body-sized pythons and it weighs about 3.3-4 lb (1500-1800 g). This is why it does not require massive cages, but a moderate-sized enclosure with proper humidity and temperatures works fine.

What are the male and female names of the species?

Snakes or pythons of any kind do not have gender-specific names for their male and female counterparts, and that is true for this snake as well. The male Angolan python is just called a male Angolan python, and the female Angolan python is just called a female Angolan python. Python anchietae is their binomial name.

What would you call a baby Angolan Python?

The Angolan python's babies are generally called hatchlings when they first come out of their eggs. It is hard to say whether the eggs get incubated because studying this snake in the breeding season has not been possible.

What do they eat?

This python is known to hunt mostly at night. They are mostly ambush predators which means that they stay hidden and wait for their prey to cross their path unknowingly. Their favored food is small mammals like rodents and birds. Feeding them is pretty easy in captivity as well. As babies, you only need to feed them a small-sized animal, such as mice, once a week, and as adults, you can either change it to a bigger-sized animal every two weeks or keep them in the same routine. It is easier to feed them if the body girth of their food does not surpass their own. Another thing you have to keep in mind is to not handle them just before or after a feeding. Snakes usually do not prefer to eat during shedding, so it would be better to wait until they shed to feed them.

Are they poisonous?

Pythons of any kind are not poisonous rather they kill their prey by choking them with their brute strength, and the Angolan python is no different. However, these snakes are not known for being aggressive and deal fairly well with gentle handling.

Would they make a good pet?

This snake can make excellent pets for snake keepers as it is pretty easy to care for them. Although some individuals might be a little aggressive, they are mostly known to have amazing personalities and respond quite well to gentle handling once a trust bond is established.

Did you know...

They have a unique type of scales on their head that look almost bead-like in their appearance.

Another quite noticeable feature of this snake are five heat-sensing pits on each side of their faces.

Naming the Angolan Python

The Angolan python got its name from its geographic origin. This snake is also called Anchieta's dwarf python after Jose Alberto de Oliveira, a Portuguese explorer and naturalist. He introduced this species to the world for the first time during his travels to Angola between 1866 and 1897.

Can Angolan Pythons be pets?

As this snake is among one of the rarer species of pythons they used to be considered mostly unavailable for both zoos and private snake keepers, however in recent times they have been a little more available with the progress of trade ways. Caring for them is fairly easy and you only have to feed them about once per week for babies and once per two weeks for adults. A 10 gal (45.5 l) cage should work fine for babies the recommended size is 36 x 18 in (91.4 x 45.7 cm) for an enclosure space for adults.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other reptiles from our coral snake surprising facts and rattlesnake facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable angolan python coloring pages.