Can someone tell me what this is please?

[Snakecatchers]

I see three possible options.... Coastal Carpet, Darwin Carpet, or a bit of both. One thing we know is it's a carpet python and they love guinea pigs! From the pic I can see how it looks borderline both. They are also an awesome creature that should be preserved so I hope he let it go in a suitable spot.

 

[Snakecatchers]

Sorry I just noticed the location bit of "Hervey Bay" and yeah.... coastal. Love the pattern though!

 

[Bluetongue1]

It seems to me that some of the comments passed are not justified.

Some comments on APS are directed towards learning for the poster and some are not. The are many threads that are more socially oriented than they are knowledge of reptiles or amphibians oriented. Even those that are can cover a huge range of issues, many highly specific to the husbandry of a given species. There is no basis for assuming particular knowledge due to the number of posts made. And that is without taking into account the starting knowledge (or lack thereof) of a given individual.

The animal photographed is clearly a coastal (subspecies) irrespective of its location. The statement that colouring is never a good thing to go by probably derives from the gamut of line bred and cross-bred individuals produced in captivity. This does not apply to wild populations where colour and pattern have their limitations. What is required to identify wild individuals as belonging to certain population or subspecies, is the knowledge of the range of colouring and patterns present in those groups. Sometimes the range is very limited and sometimes it can be quite variable. Clearly, knowledge of the natural variation in colour and pattern is pivotal to determining the ID of a given reptile.

Darlyn, To quote Wilson and Swan (3[SUP]rd[/SUP] ed): “M. s. variegata (Top End Carpet Python) is reddish brown to blackish brown with simple ragged, dark edged pale bands. M. s. mcdowelli (Eastern Carpet Python [often referred to as ‘Coastal’]) is extremely variable; typically shades of brown to olive green with many dark edged pale blotches, tending to be transversely elongated on back and coalescing to form longitudinal stripe on anterior flanks. Some individuals are wholly striped.” If that is not clear enough, I am happy to have a go at rephrasing it to make it more easily digested. Just let me know.

Hope that helps
Blue

 

[damian83]

looks identical to my coastals

 

[Cockney_Red]

After much deliberation, I am leaning toward......................Coastal!

 

[Bushman]

As stated early in this thread, the snake in question is a Carpet Python (Morelia spilota). Based on its location and that it's a wild snake, it's fair to assume that it's probably a Coastal/Eastern Carpet Python (Morelia spilota mcdowelli). Case closed.

Please note: there's no need for ID threads to get personal.
I don't want to have to start giving out warnings/infractions to people who get personal or post off topic in ID threads.

 

[andynic07]

It seems to me that some of the comments passed are not justified.

Some comments on APS are directed towards learning for the poster and some are not. The are many threads that are more socially oriented than they are knowledge of reptiles or amphibians oriented. Even those that are can cover a huge range of issues, many highly specific to the husbandry of a given species. There is no basis for assuming particular knowledge due to the number of posts made. And that is without taking into account the starting knowledge (or lack thereof) of a given individual.

The animal photographed is clearly a coastal (subspecies) irrespective of its location. The statement that colouring is never a good thing to go by probably derives from the gamut of line bred and cross-bred individuals produced in captivity. This does not apply to wild populations where colour and pattern have their limitations. What is required to identify wild individuals as belonging to certain population or subspecies, is the knowledge of the range of colouring and patterns present in those groups. Sometimes the range is very limited and sometimes it can be quite variable. Clearly, knowledge of the natural variation in colour and pattern is pivotal to determining the ID of a given reptile.

Darlyn, To quote Wilson and Swan (3[SUP]rd[/SUP] ed): “M. s. variegata (Top End Carpet Python) is reddish brown to blackish brown with simple ragged, dark edged pale bands. M. s. mcdowelli (Eastern Carpet Python [often referred to as ‘Coastal’]) is extremely variable; typically shades of brown to olive green with many dark edged pale blotches, tending to be transversely elongated on back and coalescing to form longitudinal stripe on anterior flanks. Some individuals are wholly striped.” If that is not clear enough, I am happy to have a go at rephrasing it to make it more easily digested. Just let me know.

Hope that helps
Blue

As usual a very good id but one question. You state that location and pattern is pivotal in identifying a snake but what happens if a captive Darwin escapes in Brisbane Queensland and breeds with a native Coastal producing some offspring that look more like a Darwin than a Coastal? The location is in the coastal region but colouring is more like coastal.

 

[Bluetongue1]

Andynic,
What happens if a pure Darwin escapes in Brisbane? Or any one of numerous other possible scenarios where human interference has an influence on location or genetic composition?

Such instances do not invalidate the criteria used in identifying snakes in the wild.

By their very nature, these abnormal finds occur within or very close to human habitation. Any abnormal patterning evident under those circumstances would then be seen as suspect. While possible, the probability of this happening is extremely low in the total scheme of things.

It is worth bearing in mind that most escaped animals well outside their natural range will have a hard time surviving. Even if they do survive and manage to breed with a similar subspecies, their genes will soon be lost in that population. Half only are passed on and the survival rate of young is quite small. So by a second generation, several years down the track, only one quarter or so will be passed on, then one eighth, one sixteenth etc.

Blue

 

[andynic07]

Thanks Blue, the only reason I was asking was the increasing number of lost or found threads on this site not even thinking about the people who don't post or are not members but your answer seems to cover off on that fairly well.


Thanks
Andrew

 

[Darwin-boy]

looks like a darwin x costal to me i own alot of carpets now and 2 costals :S