imported>Amstrad00: Added relevant cultural info pulled from king brown snake

2025-06-04T17:40:30Z

Added relevant cultural info pulled from king brown snake

New page

{{Short description|Species of snake}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Aspidites ramsayi -Australia Zoo, Queensland, Australia-8a.jpg
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 18 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=Bruton, M.|author2= Wilson, S.|author3= Shea, G.|author4= Ellis, R.|author5= Venz, M.|author6= Hobson, R. |author7= Sanderson, C. |name-list-style=amp |year= 2017 |title= ''Aspidites ramsayi'' |page= e.T2176A83765377 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T2176A83765377.en |access-date=18 November 2021}}</ref>
| genus = Aspidites
| species = ramsayi
| authority = ([[William John Macleay|Macleay]], 1882)
| synonyms =
*''Aspidiotes ramsayi'' {{small|Macleay, 1882}}
*''Aspidites ramsayi'' {{small|— [[George Albert Boulenger|Boulenger]], 1893}}
*''Aspidites collaris'' {{small|[[Heber Albert Longman|Longman]], 1913}}
*''Aspidites melanocephalus ramsayi'' {{small|— [[Arthur Loveridge|Loveridge]], 1934}}
*''Aspidites melanocephalus ramsayi'' {{small|— [[Olive Griffith Stull|Stull]], 1935}}
*''Aspidites ramsayi'' {{small|— [[Harold Cogger|H.G. Cogger]], [[Elizabeth E. Cameron|Cameron]] & [[Heather M. Cogger|H.M. Cogger]], 1983}}
*''Aspidites collaris'' {{small|— [[Richard Walter Wells|Wells]] & [[Cliff Ross Wellington|Wellington]], 1984}}
*''Aspidites ramsayi'' {{small|— [[:fr:Garth Underwood|Underwood]] & [[Andrew Francis Stimson|Stimson]], 1993}}
| synonyms_ref =<ref name="McD99">[[:fr:Roy Wallace McDiarmid|McDiarmid RW]], [[Jonathan A. Campbell|Campbell JA]], Touré TA (1999). ''Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, Volume 1''. Washington, District of Columbia: Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. {{ISBN|1-893777-00-6}} (series). {{ISBN|1-893777-01-4}} (volume).</ref>
| range_map = Woma.png
| range_map_caption = Distribution of the woma
}}

The '''woma python''' ('''''Aspidites ramsayi'''''), also known [[Common name|commonly]] as '''Ramsay's python''', the '''sand python''',<ref name="Bush">{{cite book |vauthors= Browne-Cooper R, Bush B, Maryan B, Robinson D |title= Reptiles and Frogs in the Bush: Southwestern Australia|year= 2007|publisher= [[University of Western Australia]] Press|isbn= 978-1-920694-74-6 |pages= 237, 238}}</ref><ref name="FC">O'Connor F (2008). [http://members.iinet.net.au/~foconnor/reptiles/reptiles.htm Western Australian Reptile Species.] Birding Western Australia. Accessed 20 September 2007.</ref><ref name="ITIS">{{ITIS |id=634770 |taxon=''Aspidites ramsayi '' |access-date=19 September 2007}}</ref><ref name="Meh87">Mehrtens JM (1987). ''Living Snakes of the World in Color.'' New York: Sterling Publishers. 480 pp. {{ISBN|0-8069-6460-X}}.</ref> and simply the '''woma''',<ref name=iucn>Bruton M, Wilson S, Shea G, Ellis R, Venz M, Hobson R, Sanderson C (2017). "''Aspidites ramsayi'' ". The [[IUCN]] Red List of Threatened Species 2017: e.T2176A83765377. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T2176A83765377.en. Downloaded on 02 January 2019.</ref> is a [[species]] of snake in the [[Family (biology)|family]] [[Pythonidae]], [[endemic]] to [[Australia]]. Once common throughout [[Western Australia]], it has become critically endangered in some regions.

==Taxonomy==
[[William John Macleay]] originally described the species in 1882 as ''Aspidiotes ramsayi''. The [[Specific name (zoology)|specific name]], ''ramsayi'', is in honor of Australian [[zoologist]] [[Edward Pierson Ramsay]].<ref>[[Mark O'Shea (herpetologist)|O'Shea M]] (2007). ''Boas and Pythons of the World''. London: New Holland Publishers Ltd. 160 pp. {{ISBN|9781845375447}}.</ref><ref>Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. {{ISBN|978-1-4214-0135-5}}. (''Aspidites ramsayi'', p. 216).</ref>

This is one of two species of ''[[Aspidites]]'', the pitless pythons, an Australian [[genus]] of the family [[Pythonidae]]. The [[Genus|generic name]], ''Aspidites'', translates to "shield bearer" in reference to the symmetrically shaped head scales.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Cerveny|first1=Shannon N. S.|last2=Garner|first2=Michael M.|last3=D'Agostino|first3=Jennifer J.|last4=Sekscienski|first4=Stacey R.|last5=Payton|first5=Mark E.|last6=Davis|first6=Michelle R.|title=Evaluation of Gastroscopic Biopsy for Diagnosis Ofcryptosporidiumsp. Infection in Snakes|date=December 2012|url=https://bioone.org/journals/Journal-of-Zoo-and-Wildlife-Medicine/volume-43/issue-4/2012-0143.1/EVALUATION-OF-GASTROSCOPIC-BIOPSY-FOR-DIAGNOSIS-OF-CRYPTOSPORIDIUM-SP-INFECTION/10.1638/2012-0143.1.full|journal=Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine|volume=43|issue=4|pages=864–871|doi=10.1638/2012-0143.1|pmid=23272355|issn=1042-7260|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

==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 [[Dorsum (anatomy)|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 {{cvt|2.3|m|ft}}, with a snout-vent length (SVL) of {{cvt|2.0|m|ft}}.

Snakes of the genus ''[[Aspidites]]'' lack the heat-sensing pits of all other pythons. ''A. ramsayi'' is similar in appearance to ''[[Aspidites melanocephalus|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.<ref name="Bush"/>

==Distribution and 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 (biology)|type locality]] is "near Forte Bourke" [[New South Wales, Australia]].<ref name="McD99"/>

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 (Western Australia)|wheatbelt]] and goldfield populations.<ref name="Bush"/>

==Conservation status==
''A. ramsayi'' is classified as Least Concern on the [[IUCN]] [[Red List of Threatened Species]].<ref name="iucn status 18 November 2021" />

The Adelaide Zoo in South Australia is co-ordinating a captive breeding program for the species, and the offspring raised have been released into the Arid Recovery Reserve in the states north with no success due to mulga snake, ''[[Pseudechis australis]]'', predation.

Many populations in the southwest of the country, since the 1960s, became critically endangered by altered land use. The sharp decline in numbers, without an authenticated record since 1989, was most notable in the Wheatbelt areas.<ref name="Bush"/>

==Behavior==
''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.

==Feeding==
''Aspidites ramsayi'' preys upon a variety of terrestrial [[vertebrate]]s such as small [[mammal]]s, ground [[bird]]s, and [[lizard]]s. It catches much of its prey in burrows where there is not enough room to maneuver coils around the prey; instead, the woma pushes a loop of its body against the animal to pin it against the side of the burrow. Many adult womas are covered in scars from retaliating rodents as this technique does not kill prey as quickly as normal constriction.<ref>"Woma python (''Aspidites ramsayi'' )". [http://www.arkive.org/species/GES/reptiles/Aspidites_ramsayi/more_info.html arkive.org] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050723081356/http://www.arkive.org/species/GES/reptiles/Aspidites_ramsayi/more_info.html |date=2005-07-23 }}</ref>

Although this species will take warm-blooded prey when offered, ''A. ramsayi'' preys mainly on reptiles. Perhaps due to this, species within the genus ''Aspidites'' lack the characteristic heat sensing pits of pythons, although they possess an equivalent sensory structure in the [[rostral scale]].<ref>Westhoff G, Collin SP (2008). [http://www.intronet.com.br/clientes/rep/index2.php?var=viewAbstract&id=112 A new type of infrared sensitive organ in the python ''Aspidites'' sp. (Abstract).] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706153109/http://www.intronet.com.br/clientes/rep/index2.php?var=viewAbstract&id=112 |date=July 6, 2011 }} 6th World Congress of Herpetology. Manaus.</ref>

==Reproduction==
''Aspidites ramsayi'' is [[oviparous]], with five to 20 [[egg (biology)|eggs]] per [[Clutch (eggs)|clutch]]. Females remain coiled around their eggs until they hatch, with the incubation period lasting 2–3 months. An adult female about 4–5 years old and 5 ft (about 1.5 m) in total length usually lays about 11 eggs.

==Captivity==
Considered to be more active than many pythons, as well as being a very docile and "easy to handle" snake, the woma is highly sought after in the reptile and [[exotic pet]] trade. It is one of the hardiest python species in captivity, often enthusiastically accepting prey and other items. One made headlines in May 2015 for requiring surgery to remove the feeding tongs it had swallowed as well as its meal.<ref>McCurdy, Euan (2015). "Winston the python bites off more than he can chew". (http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/15/asia/python-swallows-barbeque-tongs/</ref> This snake will breed in captivity. {{Citation needed|date=April 2019}}

==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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://parksaustralia.gov.au/uluru/discover/culture/stories/kuniya-liru-story/ |title=The Kuniya and Liru story |website=Parks Australia |access-date=7 May 2019}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==Further reading==
*[[George Albert Boulenger|Boulenger GA]] (1893). ''Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume I., Containing the Families ... Boidæ ...'' London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). London. xiii + 448 pp. + Plates I-XXVIII. (''Aspidites ramsayi'', new combination, p. 92).
*[[Harold Cogger|Cogger HG]] (2014). ''Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, Seventh Edition''. Clayton, Victoria, Australia: CSIRO Publishing. xxx + 1,033 pp. {{ISBN|978-0643100350}}.
*[[William John Macleay|Macleay W]] (1882). "Descriptions of two new Snakes". ''Proc. Linnean Soc. New South Wales (Series 1)'' '''6''': 811-813. (''Aspidiotes ramsayi'', new species, p. 813).
*Wilson, Steve; Swan, Gerry (2013). ''A Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia, Fourth Edition''. Sydney: New Holland Publishers. 522 pp. {{ISBN|978-1921517280}}.

==External links==
{{Commons}}
* {{NRDB species|genus=Aspidites|species=ramsayi|date=19 September|year=2007}}
{{Pythonidae}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q304941}}

[[Category:Pythonidae]]
[[Category:Endangered fauna of Australia]]
[[Category:Reptiles of Western Australia]]
[[Category:Reptiles described in 1882]]
[[Category:Taxa named by William John Macleay]]
[[Category:Snakes of Australia]]

Woma python - Revision history

imported>Amstrad00: Added relevant cultural info pulled from king brown snake