Scientific name:
Liasis olivaceus
Other names:
Olive Python
Diet:
Carnivore (Wallabies, bats, reptiles)
Max Length:
4.0+ Metres
Habitat:
Rocky gorges, watercourses
Status:
Least Concern (Pilbara subspecies is Vulnerable)
The Olive Python is a true giant of the Australian bush. As Australia’s second-largest snake species (surpassed only by the Scrub Python), they are an apex predator in the rocky gorges of the Top End.
Olive Pythons are solid muscle with smooth, shiny scales. Their colour ranges from olive-green to chocolate brown. Crucial ID Tip: They are often mistaken for the highly venomous King Brown (Mulga) Snake. However, Olive Pythons have heat-sensing pits along their lower jaw lips (which King Browns lack) and their scales are much smoother than other snakes, like the Rough-scaled Python.
These snakes are powerful constrictors. They hunt primarily by ambush, often submerging themselves in waterholes. Their diet includes rock wallabies, fruit bats, and even freshwater crocodiles! The “pits” along their lips are infrared sensors that allow them to detect the body heat of prey in total darkness.
They are found across the tropical north of WA, NT, and Queensland. Note: There are two subspecies. The main population (L. o. olivaceus) in the Top End is secure. However, the Pilbara Olive Python (L. o. barroni) is listed as Vulnerable due to habitat loss and traffic, highlighting the importance of our conservation message.
Olive Pythons are excellent swimmers. In the wild, they are generally solitary. Despite their size, they are favorites among keepers for their generally calm nature.
Can an Olive Python eat a human?
No. While they can grow over 4 meters, human shoulders are too broad for them to swallow. They pose no predation threat to humans.
Are snakes slimy?
Not at all! Their scales are dry and feel like high-quality leather. This is often the biggest surprise for people who touch a snake for the first time at our corporate events.
Face Your Fears: Meet “Tiny,” our massive Olive Python, at your next kids party with Melbourne’s Mobile Zoo. It’s the ultimate experience!
Reptile Encounters would like to acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land, the people of the Kulin Nation, who have never ceded sovereignty. This always was and always will be Aboriginal land.