Black-Headed Python

The black-headed python is one of two members of the genus Aspidites, a lineage of pythons that lack heat-sensing labial pits. It is instantly recognizable by its solid black head, a feature thought to aid in thermoregulation while the rest of the body remains hidden in a burrow.

It is a powerful constrictor found across tropical and semi-arid northern Australia, often sheltering in soil cracks, animal burrows, or under rock slabs during the heat of the day.

• Uniform glossy black head and neck, sharply demarcated from the body
• Body pale tan to olive-brown with irregular dark brown crossbands
• Smooth, glossy scales
• Broad head slightly distinct from neck; no heat-sensing pits along the lips
• Round pupils
• Distinguished from other Australian pythons by the solid black head coloration

Found across northern Australia including the Kimberley, Top End, and parts of Queensland. Inhabits savanna woodland, rocky outcrops, grassland, and semi-arid scrub. Shelters in soil cracks, termite mounds, and animal burrows, emerging to forage at dusk and after rain.

Primarily nocturnal and crepuscular, though it may bask at burrow entrances. Diet includes reptiles, including venomous snakes, as well as small mammals and birds; known to be resistant to elapid venom. Generally docile and reluctant to bite. Oviparous, with females coiling around eggs to protect them.