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PYTHONS

	Olive python Liasis olivaceus The olive python is a large python that can reach sizes in excess of 4 metres. They have a uniform body colour of either olive, greenish brown, reddish brown and their ventral colour is usually an off white. Sometimes these pythons are unfortunately mistaken for the venomous King Brown snake Pseudechis australis and as a consequence, are often killed. The olive python has a very high mid body scale count 61 to 72. This high scale count makes the olive pythons skin appear smooth compared to other species. The olive python is generally nocturnal by nature but there have been day time activity observed. Except for W.A, Olive pythons are commonly kept and represented in collections around the country. In Australian collections we are lucky enough to have albino olive pythons which are quite stunning. The original specimen was found in the Northern Territory. Habitat They are found in rocky areas or gorges and especially rocky habitat associated with water courses.  Besides taking refuge in caves and rock crevices they also can be found in hollow logs and burrows beneath rocks. Food Olive pythons prey upon mammals, birds, reptiles, and in my opinion, it is likely that juveniles would also consume frogs. Breeding Breeding usually occurs in late winter and their average clutch size is about 19 eggs.
	Sub- species- Pilbara Olive Python Liasis olivaceus barroni In the Pilbara area of Western Australia, occurs this amazing sub species, Liasis olivaceus barroni. The Barroni olive grows larger and has a lower mid body scale count of 58 to 66, and by having a higher ventral scale count of 374 to 410 versus L.o.olivaceus 355 to 377. An obvious first glance difference from the L.o.olivaceus specimens found on the eastern side of North Queensland though, is that the Pilbara Olive has 4 posterior prefrontals. In some publications it is stated that another difference between the two is that only L.o.barroni has a small scale in between the internasals and in anterior contact with the rostral scale.
I have found that this characteristic is not consistent as it can also be found on some specimens of L.o.olivaceus found in the Kununarra area of W.A, and therefore should not be reliably used to identify L.o.barroni. Although L.o.barranoi was described by Smith in 1981 on taxonomic scalation differences, I believe that it still remains unclear as to whether or not L.o.olivaceus is really absent entirely from the Pilbara region.  I have personally looked over several specimens from the DeGrey area of the Pilbara and relying on these taxonomic differences to quantify what is widely deemed to be the accepted differentials of the two, can confirm that the Degrey populations key out as being L.o.olivaceus in both mid-body and occasionally on ventral scale counts. It is interesting though that the small triangular scale between the internasals and rostral scale was either absent in some specimens or extremely reduced in size and hardly visible in others. A paper written by Lesley H Rawlings, David Barker, and Dr Stephen C. Donnellan in 2004 on mitochondrial DNA, has shown that there are indeed DNA differences between the Kimberly and Pilbara populations to perhaps further validate the acceptance of two species. Unfortunately the Pilbara specimen's used for DNA examination were only taken from specimens obtained from the Pannawonica area. The DNA of the Pilbara coastal population which are found a further DNA 540 km North West of Pannawonica were never looked at presumably due to the lack of available specimens. As the DeGrey population is so far away in distance from Pannawonica, and in reality, is a similar distance from the northern olivaceus population found near Broome, it is my opinion that further mitochondrial DNA work may confirm a form that is an intermediate of the two or at the very least will prove that Smiths taxonomic description is flawed and needs revising. I believe there is an unlikely chance of gene flow between both northern and south eastern areas to the Ord Ranges because of its isolation. In my opinion the only possible chance of limited gene flow from the Eastern Pilbara Olives and the Ord range population would be via the East Strelly or DeGrey river tributaries during the wet season. As the western areas of these rivers are void of rocky habitat and travel through a vast expanse of desert like area and are mostly dry for much of the year, gene flow may not be likely.   The Pilbara Olive has an extremely docile demeanor and besides the logistics of housing such a large python, make excellent captives. In the wild at both day and at night time, I have commonly found Pilbara olives submerged in water holes with just their nostrils protruding the water surface and have observed specimens fully submerged actively swimming around seemingly without effort almost as if they were eels.   It was previously thought that the Pilbara olive was a relatively rare python but this is definitely not the case at all and I would consider them in there remote habitats as being common. Dr David Pearson a scientific officer from the Department of Environment and Conservation has being radio tracking work with this species for a number of years now and I am told that his recommendation is that they should be removed from the endangered species list.
Habitat They are found in rocky areas or gorges and especially rocky habitat associated with water courses. Besides taking refuge in caves and rock crevices they also can be found in hollow logs and burrows beneath rocks. Food Olive pythons prey upon mammals, birds, reptiles, and in my opinion, it is likely that juveniles would also consume frogs. Hatchlings I have only seen a limited number of hatchlings in the wild and have only weighed and measured one specimen. That specimen was 780mm in total length and weighed 52 gms (see pic 4). Based solely on this specimen it is easy to believe that this sub-species is indeed a larger morph.