small farmer

Chapter 1044 Giant Python (12)

in this valley
Everyone has discovered quite a lot. In addition to the unicorn fairy and the dead leaf butterfly, they also found several rare lichens and ferns.

"Ah, snake! What a big snake!!"

Suddenly a young professor who was investigating in the grove suddenly called out.

"What? Where is the snake??" Everyone hurried over to check,

Only after looking at it did I realize that this 'snake' was really big, about five or six meters long, and the thickest part was as thick as an adult's thigh.

But when everyone approached, they realized something was wrong, because the snake didn't move when it saw everyone coming. When you looked closely, it turned out to be a piece of snake skin.

"It turned out to be a piece of snake skin!!" Seeing that it was snake skin, everyone wiped the cold sweat from their brows and breathed a sigh of relief.

This snake is so big that even experts who often deal with wild animals feel a little numb when they encounter it unexpectedly.

"Look, what kind of snake is this?"

Then the experts quickly put away the snakeskin and began to observe it carefully.

"It should be a Burmese python. You can see that its body is thick and fat, and its head is smaller than its body..." As an expert in reptile research, Professor Gao explained the knowledge of Burmese pythons while observing.

The Burmese python is also known as the Burmese rock python, also known as the southern snake, the lyre snake, and the double-banded anaconda. .

It is a native species in Southeast Asia and mostly lives in tropical rainforests.They are easier to reach in some places near water sources, and sometimes haunt trees.According to the "Guinness Book of World Records", the previous longest Burmese python was 9.75 meters long.But most of the individuals are within five meters.

"Quick, Zhang, bring me the measuring tape!!"

Then everyone measured it with a measuring tape. The snake skin was [-] meters long, which should be considered the longest among Burmese pythons.

Burmese pythons grow throughout their lives, and females are larger than males.The Burmese python has a stout body, a smaller head than the body, and is non-toxic.The snout is flat and has 3 pairs of lip fossae (heat-sensing organs).The body is tan, with brown arrow-shaped spots on the back of the head, the back is yellow, covered with large irregular brown cloud-like spots, and the abdomen is white.There are a pair of degenerated claw-like stumps on both sides of the cloaca.

The Burmese python is famous for its huge size, with an average length of up to 7 meters and a weight of up to 91 kilograms.Burmese pythons have a large number of vertebral hyperplasia, which makes their body lengthen continuously.

And female Burmese pythons are bigger than males.A Burmese python located in the Snake Safari Park in Illinois, USA, is the world's heaviest recorded snake. In 2005, its weight reached 183 kg and its body length was 8.2 meters.

The body color of the Burmese python is relatively light, with many obvious black stripes. Its colorful texture is very popular, and its snake skin has become a very high-end luxury product in the leather industry.

In terms of eating habits, Burmese pythons are carnivorous like other snakes.Burmese pythons feed on mammals, birds and reptiles.

Burmese pythons hunt birds and mammals of all sizes, depending on their size.They bite their prey with sharp barb-shaped teeth, and then bind their bodies tightly against their opponents, using their powerful muscles to pinch their opponents to death.

They also appear around humans from time to time, mainly because rodents that gather in human dwellings are one of their main food.

Everyone often sees news about Burmese pythons on the Internet, so Zhang Feng is very curious whether this animal is a national protected animal.

"Professor Zhou, is the Burmese python a national protected animal?"

"Of course, in China, apart from rats and cockroaches, what other animals are not protected?" Professor Zhou laughed and continued, "And the Burmese python is a first-class national protected animal!"

First-class protected animals? ?

Is this too exaggerated? ?Because in Zhang Feng's view, Burmese pythons seem to be very common! !
What are the first-class protected animals? Zhang Feng thought for a while, giant panda, South China tiger, golden monkey, leopard, etc. These animals are rare and precious. Zhang Feng knows that for example, the giant panda is our national treasure, and the South China tiger is almost extinct. There are only a small number of wild South China tigers found in Qinglong Mountain. Needless to say, other first-class protected animals are also known, and each of them is a very precious animal.

But what's going on with this Burmese python? ?How can it be a first-class protected animal?
You must know that in Myanmar, this kind of animal is almost overrun. In our country, it has become a first-class protected animal. It is the same as the giant panda and the South China tiger. This makes Zhang Feng feel too surprised.

"Why do you think it's unbelievable?" Seeing Zhang Feng's astonished expression, Professor Zhou asked with a smile.

Zhang Feng nodded heavily.

"Hehe, this is actually quite normal. For example, the wild wolves that are rampant in Siberia are hunted and killed by the local government by hundreds every year, but they are classified as first-class protected animals in China."

"The same goes for the Burmese python. Although it is almost flooded in Southeast Asia and causes a lot of losses to the local area every year, the number in China is very small, so it has become a national first-class protected animal." Professor Zhou smiled. explained with a smile.

Hearing his words, Zhang Feng finally understood, it turns out that these things are really rare in China, and the rarest things are the most precious, so they became the national first-class protected animals.

"We can take this snake skin back as a display! Then there will be another precious exhibit in the exhibition hall of our reserve!!" Professor Gao put the snake skin away with a smile.

"Professor Gao, does this snake shed its skin once a year?" a mountain patrol member asked curiously.

"Haha, this snake doesn't shed its skin once a year, usually three to four times a year..."

Snake casts off its skin periodically, about 3 to 4 times a year.Snakes shed their skin repeatedly every once in a while, and snakes will always shed their skin throughout their lives.

As the snake grows, the snake will shed its skin.Every time a snake sheds its skin, it means growing up again, because the original skin cannot cover the growing snake body.

Before the snake casts off its skin, it is easy to distinguish, and the color of the snake's skin becomes darker and lighter.One or two days before moulting, the snake's eyes slowly turn from jet black to blue-white until opalescent.

The process of molting is quite interesting. Generally, the upper and lower lips are peeled off first, and then the skin on the head is loosened. At this time, it is the same as people take off stockings. Or rock crevices, or the fork of the branch, slowly take off from the head to the trunk, and finally slough off the whole old skin from the end of the tail.

I see! !
Even Zhang Feng knew for the first time that snakes shed their skin like this, and today they gained knowledge again! !

(End of this chapter)