This thing boggles my mind. How could something that big hunt? What would it hunt?
I mean… it’s a thousand pounds! How fast can it possibly go? And it’s not likely to be inconspicuous! Can this thing actually be stealthy?
This thing has aroused a childlike wonder in me that I thought was long dead.
Turns out it really doesn’t quite measure out to be that large.
Maybe it was watching the Paris Hilton video during the first measurement. Okay, I had to say it.
My understanding of reticulated python behavior is that they are a bit skittish, but extremely aggresive once they sense nearby prey. They don’t like to be out in the open, which means that they hunt primarily by ambush from trees and burrows. They have a smallish visual strike zone which is far less than its actual length, but they will extend farther if they smell something interesting.
That’s probably why they get so damned big. Larger size means more opportunities to strike against larger prey. A truly massive python can and will feed on just about anything it can reach from its stationary position.