The Nature LibraryEN·ES
iNat·32131SpeciesReptilia252 field observations
  1. Animals
  2. ›Chordates
  3. ›Vertebrates
  4. ›Reptiles
  5. ›Snakes and Lizards
  6. ›Snakes
  7. ›Pythons
  8. ›Aspidites
Woma Python
Plate 1 of 2. (c) Drew E. Dittmer, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Drew E. Dittmer · via iNaturalist

Woma Python

Aspidites ramsayi

The woma python (Aspidites ramsayi), also known commonly as Ramsay's python, the sand python, and simply the woma, is a species of snake in the family Pythonidae, endemic to Australia. Once common throughout Western Australia, it has become critically endangered in some regions.

Continue reading on Wikipedia

From the article Woma python on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), quoted section by section

§1

Description

Adults of A. ramsayi typically are around 1.5 m (4.5 feet) in total length (including tail). The head is narrow, and the eyes are small. The body is broad and flattish in profile, while the tail tapers to a thin point. The dorsal scales are small and smooth, with 50–65 rows at midbody. The ventral scales are 280–315 in number, with an undivided anal plate, and 40–45 mostly single subcaudal scales. Some of the posterior subcaudals may be irregularly divided. The dorsal color may be pale brown to nearly black. The pattern consists of a ground color that varies from medium brown and olive to lighter shades of orange, pink, and red, overlaid with darker striped or brindled markings. The belly is cream or light yellow with brown and pink blotches. The scales around the eyes are usually a darker color than the rest of the head. Aspidites ramsayi may reach a total length of 2.3 m (7.5 ft), with a snout-vent length (SVL) of 2.0 m (6.6 ft). Snakes of the genus Aspidites lack the heat-sensing pits of all other pythons. A. ramsayi is similar in appearance to A. melanocephalus, but without an obvious neck. The coloration or desire to locate this species may lead to confusion with the venomous species Pseudonaja nuchalis, commonly known as the gwardar.

§2

Range & habitat

Aspidites ramsayi lives in the west and center of Australia, from Western Australia through southern Northern Territory and northern South Australia to southern Queensland and northwestern New South Wales. Its range may be discontinuous. The type locality is "near Forte Bourke" New South Wales, Australia. The range in Southwest Australia extends from Shark Bay, along the coast and inland regions, and was previously common on sandplains. The species was recorded in regions to the south and east, with once extensive wheatbelt and goldfield populations.

Wikipedia: “Distribution and habitat”

§3

What it does

Aspidites ramsayi is largely nocturnal. By day this snake shelters in hollow logs or under leaf debris. When travelling across hot sands or other surfaces it lifts its body off the ground and reaches far forward before pushing off the ground again, having only a few inches of its body touching the ground at a time.

Wikipedia: “Behavior”

§4

In human culture

Mutitjulu Waterhole at Uluru marks the site of the battle between two Central Australian ancestral beings Kuniya (woma python woman) and Liru (king brown snake man). Here, Kuniya avenged the death of her nephew, who was fatally speared by Liru, by striking him with her digging stick.

Wikipedia: “Culture”

§·

Where it lives

Recorded sightings

—

geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.

Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.

§·

In the stacks

Searching the stacks…

Every page naming Aspidites ramsayi in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →

This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 32131.