by Seems a sheep farmer was puzzled about the disappearance of some sheep on his farm. After a few weeks of sheep disappearing the farmer decided to put up an electric fence. About a week later, this is what he found: a Rock Python.
The snake has tried to get through the electric fence and then become stuck at the fence when the electic fence has sʜᴏᴄᴋᴇᴅ him. The reptile clearly ate something before it ᴅɪᴇᴅ.
The rock python is a species of large constrictor snake in the family Pythonidae. The species is native to sub-Saharan Africa and a very large species of snake, arguably the largest in Africa.
The snake is found in a variety of habitats, from forests to near deserts, although usually near sources of water. The snake becomes dormant during the dry season. The African rock python ᴋɪʟʟs its ᴘʀᴇʏ by ᴄᴏɴsᴛʀɪᴄᴛɪᴏɴ and often eats animals up to the size of antelope, occasionally even crocodiles. The snake reproduces by egg-laying. Unlike most snakes, the female protects her nest and sometimes even her hatchlings.
The African rock python’s body is thick and covered with colored blotches, often joining up in a broad, irregular stripe. Body markings vary between brown, olive, chestnut, and yellow, but fade to white on the underside. The head is triangular and is marked on top with a dark brown “spear-head” outlined in buffy yellow. Teeth are many, sharp, and backwardly curved. Under the eye, there is a distinctive triangular marking, the subocular mark.
Like all pythons, the scales of the African rock python are small and smooth. Those around the lips possess heat-sensitive pits, which are used to detect ᴡᴀʀᴍ-ʙʟᴏᴏᴅᴇᴅ prey, even in the dark. Pythons also possess two functioning lungs, unlike more advanced snakes, which have only one, and also have small, visible pelvic spurs, believed to be the vestiges of hind limbs.
The snake is widely ꜰᴇᴀʀᴇᴅ, though it very rarely ᴋɪʟʟs humans. Although the snake is not ᴇɴᴅᴀɴɢᴇʀᴇᴅ, it does face ᴛʜʀᴇᴀᴛs from habitat reduction and ʜᴜɴᴛɪɴɢ. Some cultures in Sub-Saharan Africa consider it a delicacy, which may pose a ᴛʜʀᴇᴀᴛ to its population.
