How to Identify the Inland Carpet Python (Identification Guide)

Key identifying features

The Inland Carpet Python (a subspecies of the carpet python complex, Morelia spilota metcalfei) is a heavy-bodied, non-venomous constrictor native to inland regions of eastern and southeastern Australia. It is distinguished from coastal carpet pythons by a generally paler background color and a bolder, more contrasting pattern of cream, olive, and dark brown blotches that often form irregular bands across the back. Like all carpet pythons, it has deep labial pits along the upper and lower jaws used to detect the body heat of prey.

Coloration & pattern

Base coloration ranges from olive-grey to yellowish-brown, overlaid with dark brown or black blotches edged in cream or pale gold. The pattern is typically more geometric and high-contrast than in coastal populations, sometimes forming near-continuous chain-like bands down the spine. The belly is cream to pale yellow, usually with scattered dark speckling. Juveniles show the same pattern as adults but with brighter, crisper contrast that can dull slightly with age.

Head, eyes & scales

The head is broad, triangular, and distinct from the neck, covered in small, irregular scales rather than large plates (except for a few enlarged scales near the snout). Prominent heat-sensing pits line the upper and lower lips, visible as small indentations along the jaw margin. The eyes are medium-sized with vertically elliptical (cat-like) pupils, typical of pythons. Body scales are smooth and glossy, giving the snake a sleek sheen in good light.

Size & body shape

Adults commonly reach 2–2.5 m (6.5–8 ft) in length, with some individuals exceeding 3 m (10 ft). The body is thick and muscular, built for powerful constriction, tapering to a moderately long tail. Compared to coastal carpet pythons, inland specimens tend to have a slightly more robust, stocky build suited to cooler, drier climates.

Range & habitat where you'll see it

This subspecies occupies inland woodlands, river red gum forests, rocky outcrops, and farmland across the Murray-Darling Basin and adjacent inland areas of New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia. It is often found sheltering in tree hollows, under rock ledges, in old buildings, or within dense woodpiles, and is frequently active at dusk and after dark.

How to tell it apart from look-alikes

The Inland Carpet Python can be confused with coastal carpet pythons (M. s. mcdowelli), which tend to be darker overall with less contrasting pattern, and with diamond pythons (M. s. spilota in southern coastal ranges), which show a distinctive rosette-like diamond pattern rather than blotches. It differs from venomous inland species such as the mulga snake by its blotched pattern, heat pits, elliptical pupils, and much heavier build, since Australian elapids lack heat pits and have rounder pupils and smoother, more uniform coloration.