Dec 18, 2005 2:17 pm US/Central
CBS 2 At Brookfield Zoo: Snake Pit
This Burmese Phyton Swallowed A 6-Foot Alligator
by Susan Carlson
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
In this weeks trip to the zoo we are going where few visitors if any have gone before: The snake pit. CBS 2 Susan Carlson reports.
S: Well greetings from Brookfield Zoo! Guess where we are I'm here with Andre Copeland and were inside a snake cage. This is a Burmese python, tell us his story and how he got here.
A: He arrived here in 1977 and was an animal that was in the pet trade. When he got here it was estimated that he was about a year old, so right now he's about 29.
S: Wow that seems pretty old for a snake. Why is it that these animals are so popular as pets, and they don't make good pets at all?
A: Well when these animals hatch out there about 24 inches long and about as big as my index finger, so they look like cute, adorable animals, however, these are one of the truly giant snakes. The females can pop out at 23 feet long and weigh well over 150 pounds.
S: Now are they dangerous Andre?
A: To anything they perceive as food when an animal gets that big for example, they can take down animals that weigh over 120 pounds. To give you an idea, there having a problem in Florida, people are starting to let there big Burmese pythons go. Just a few weeks ago they found a 13-foot Burmese python that had swallowed a 6-foot alligator.
S: Oh my gosh! Now what is their method of tackling their prey, they don't bite per se.
A: Well they will strike out, basically they'll stick their tongue out and somewhat taste the air to pick up the scent of their prey. As they get closer they had heat seeking pits at the top of their mouth so they can hone in directly on the animal they want to eat. Once they come upon that animal, they will strike out, and they will attach their head to the animal, and then start to pull their body in. They will coil around the animal and start to squeeze which is a constricting method and they will keep squeezing until they do not feel a heartbeat. Once the heart is stopped, the animal will release and the Burmese python will swallow it whole.
S: Doesn't sound like a pleasant way to go. And I understand there's something interesting about them they make really good mothers.
A: Well, in the reptile world you usually don't have really good mothers, especially when your talking about snakes, however female pythons will actually incubate their eggs. They will quail themselves around their eggs and usually will only leave if they are extremely hungry. And, contrary to popular belief, the female python can regulate their body temperature to some degree. They can actually shiver, and raise their body temperature to help keep their eggs at a constant temperature.
S: Very interesting. So come meet the Burmese python here in the zoo and don't try to get one for yourself at home as a pet.
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