Common names: Bismarck ringed python.

Bothrochilus is a monotypic

Monotypic

In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one biological type. The term's usage differs slightly between botany and zoology. The term monotypic has a separate use in conservation biology, monotypic habitat, regarding species habitat conversion eliminating biodiversity and...

 genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 containing the non-venomous python species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

, B. boa, found on the islands of the Bismarck Archipelago

Bismarck Archipelago

The Bismarck Archipelago is a group of islands off the northeastern coast of New Guinea in the western Pacific Ocean and is part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea.-History:...

. No subspecies

Subspecies

Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...

 are currently recognized.

Description

Adults grow to a length of 152–183 cm (5–6 ft). The color pattern consists of a series of brilliant orange and black rings in juveniles, but this fades in about a year as the snakes mature. Adults are usually a shade of brown with black rings, or a uniform blackish brown. Usually, there is a light spot behind the eye. Some specimens may have black rings that are irregular, incompletely formed or even absent. The scales

Scale (zoology)

In most biological nomenclature, a scale is a small rigid plate that grows out of an animal's skin to provide protection. In lepidopteran species, scales are plates on the surface of the insect wing, and provide coloration...

 are highly iridescent.

Geographic range

Found on the island

Island

An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...

s of the Bismarck Archipelago

Bismarck Archipelago

The Bismarck Archipelago is a group of islands off the northeastern coast of New Guinea in the western Pacific Ocean and is part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea.-History:...

, including Umboi

Umboi Island

Umboi is a volcanic island between the mainland of Papua New Guinea and the island of New Britain. It is separated from New Britain by Dampier Strait and has an elevation of 1,548 m. Umboi is a Holocene complex volcano with no historic eruptions...

, New Britain

New Britain

New Britain, or Niu Briten, is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from the island of New Guinea by the Dampier and Vitiaz Straits and from New Ireland by St. George's Channel...

, Gasmata (off the southern coast), Duke of York

Duke of York Island, Papua New Guinea

Duke of York Island is the largest island of Duke of York Islands, Papua New Guinea, at . The island is named after Prince Edward, the brother of King George III of Great Britain....

 and nearby Mioko, New Ireland

New Ireland (island)

New Ireland is a large island in Papua New Guinea, approximately 7,404 km² in area. It is the largest island of the New Ireland Province, lying northeast of the island of New Britain. Both islands are part of the Bismarck Archipelago, named after Otto von Bismarck, and they are separated by...

 and nearby Tatau

Tatau

Tatau is a town, and the capital of the Tatau District in Bintulu Division, Sarawak, east Malaysia. The district population was 25,300. Tatau became a district in 1987. Before that it was a Sub District under Bintulu District.The main spoken language is Iban, Kenyah, Beketan and Punan....

 (off the east coast), the New Hanover Island

New Hanover Island

New Hanover Island, , also called Lavongai, is a large volcanic island in New Ireland Province, part of the Bismarck Archipelago of the New Guinea Islands region of Papua New Guinea, at...

s and Nissan Island

Nissan Island

Nissan Island is the largest of the Green Islands of Papua New Guinea. It is located at , about 200 km east of Rabaul on New Britain and about 200 km northwest of Bougainville....

. The type locality given is "Nouvelle Irlande" (New Ireland).

Habitat

The Bismarck ringed python inhabits rain forests in open and/or cultivated areas. Often found in piles of coconut

Coconut

The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...

 husks.

Feeding

Their diet consists primarily of small rodents, for which they actively forage. They have been reported to enter houses and agricultural structures in search of prey. Hatchlings feed on lizards and juvenile rodents.

Reproduction

Oviparous, they lay up to a dozen eggs that are generally "brooded" by the female, although this is not always the case.

Captivity

Young specimens will often bite readily, but they usually settle down as they mature to become trustworthy captives. Wild caught animals are not generally available. The species appears to be well-established in captivity with several hundred ringed pythons hatching out from breeder's collections each year. Captive specimens seem to benefit if provided with a box of damp moss in which to occasionally sit. This species likes high humidity but is intolerant of poor ventilation or wet conditions.