Last Friday was World Snake Day, and Brookfield Zoo celebrated by posting on its social media channels a video of its reticulated python receiving its annual weight and length measurements taken by the animal care staff. The 16-year-old male python, who resides at the Zoo’s Reptiles and Birds House, is 15 feet 2 inches long and weighs almost 84 pounds. The species is the longest snake in the world averaging between 10 to 20 feet. Many people have a phobia of snakes, and at times, the slithering creatures tend to get an undeserved bad rap. The purpose of World Snake Day is to raise awareness for the more than 3,000 snake species found on every continent, except Antarctica, including the reticulated python, which is native throughout southeast Asia. They are effective hunters and control the pest population, but they are also a food source to many animals such as birds of prey, mongoose, crocodiles, coyotes, and larger species of the feline family. Although the reticulated python is not endangered, there are snake species that are. Main causes are habitat loss, disease, over-harvesting, and climate change.

Photo Credit: Brookfield Zoo