Visitors to the Night Safari at Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo at The Dubai Mall have the opportunity to watch the Carpet Python and how it behaves as the sun goes down.
The Carpet Python (Morelia spilota) is found in Australia, Indonesia and New Guinea. It reaches between 2 to 4 metres in length and weights up to 15 kg. The patterning may be roughly diamond shaped or have intricate markings made up of light and dark bands on a background of gray or a version of brown.
The species are oviparous, with females laying 10-50 eggs at a time. Females coil around the eggs to protect them and keep them warm through using muscular contractions to generate heat. Their diet consists mainly of small mammals, bats, birds and lizards. The Carpet Python kills their prey by constricting it until it suffocates.
