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Project Noah Nature School
Morelia spilota mcdowelli
We had this carpet python in care for about a fortnight while it was recovering from surgery to mend some fairly serious lacerations around the head and neck area (the vets at Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital do an amazing job)! It also has a very unusual eye - small and blue-coloured, possibly blind. The vet thought it might be an old injury. I took these photos just after the python shed its skin, revealing a beautiful glossy greenish-brown colour. We had it checked and released it back into the wild yesterday.
Spotted on Dec 29, 2012
Submitted on Jan 1, 2013
7 Comments
Great photos Shanna
Thanks Cody! The photos don't really do it justice, it was much more pale and green-looking to the naked eye. It really was a beautiful snake.
Shanna - the reason this carpet is so distinct in its beauty is it looks to be a "morph" that is found in the wild on occasion. The morph is a gene mutation we refer to as Caramel, and it's simply a reduction of dark pigments and replaced with lighter ones. I actually have one in my collection here in the states, and they are very beautiful animals. It's good to see morphs are still in the wild and not simply being harvested!
Happy New Year to you too, Daniele!
What a beauty! Happy New Year Shanna!
Thanks Argy, it was beautiful. Probably one of the prettiest carpet pythons I've seen. (Pretty tetchy though...)
Gorgeous looking snake :)