Indian python
Python molurus (Linnaeus, 1758)
The Indian python (Python molurus), also called the Asian rock python, Indian rock python, Asiatic rock python, Black-tailed python or Kaa, is a snake in the family Pythonidae and the genus Python. It is a medium-sized reptile, with a representative adult body mass of 17.1 kg.
Quick facts about the Indian python
It produces 1 clutch or litter per year with 27.5 eggs or young, eggs incubate for 59 days, and it reaches sexual maturity at 3 years. The IUCN Red List assesses it globally as Near Threatened (NT), which is not a threatened category, and its lifespan is listed as 34.14 years.
- Weight
- 17.1 kgsrc for Weight
- Length
- 3 msrc for Length
- Lifespan
- 34.1 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- Not recorded
- Egg incubation
- 59 dayssrc for Egg incubation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 27.5src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 3 yearssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 1src for Litters or clutches a year
- Conservation status
- Near Threatened (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
How big is the Indian python?
Photos of the Indian python
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the Indian python live?
Not recorded
What is the Indian python?
The Indian python (Python molurus) is a large python species native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It is also known by the common names black-tailed python, Indian rock python, and Asian rock python. Although smaller than its close relative the Burmese python, it is still among the largest snakes in the world. It is generally lighter colored than the Burmese python and reaches usually 3 m (9 ft 10 in). Like all pythons, it is nonvenomous.
From the Wikipedia article “Indian python” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Indian_python&oldid=1369060971), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the Indian python endangered?
The Indian python is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List: it is close to qualifying as threatened.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Near Threatened species.
How is the Indian python classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classReptilia
- orderSquamata
- familyPythonidae
- genusPython
- SpeciesPython molurus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms Boa albicans, Boa castanea, Boa cinerea, Boa orbiculata, Boa ordinata, Coluber boaeformis, Coluber molurus, Python bora, Python jamesonii, Python molurus molurus, Python molurus pimbura, Python molurus var. intermedia, Python molurus var. ocellatus, Python molurus var. sondaica, Python tigris
Other names and names in other languages (53)
- Asian rock pythonEnglish
- Asiatic rock pythonEnglish
- Asiatic rock pythonEnglish
- Black-tailed pythonEnglish
- Indian rock pythonEnglish
- KaaEnglish
- tierluislangAfrikaans
- أصلة هنديةArabic
- pitón indiaAsturian
- Тыгравы пітонBelarusian
- Pitó de l'ÍndiaCatalan
- krajta tygrovitáCzech
- Lys TigerpythonDanish
- TigerpythonGerman
- Heller TigerpythonGerman
- Pitón de la IndiaSpanish
- TiikeripytonFinnish
- Python TigreFrench
- Pyhton molure (Le)French
- Python indienFrench
- Python molureFrench
- Pitón da IndiaGalician
- פיתון בורמזיHebrew
- अजगरHindi
- AjgarHindi
- tigrispitonHungarian
- pitone delle rocce indianoItalian
- インドニシキヘビJapanese
- ಹೆಬ್ಬಾವುKannada
- Tigrinis pitonasLithuanian
- പെരുമ്പാമ്പ്Malayalam
- भारतीय अजगरMarathi
- TigerpytonNorwegian Bokmål
- Indisk PytonNorwegian Bokmål
- TijgerpythonDutch
- pyton tygrysiPolish
- Píton-IndianaPortuguese
- Тигровый питонRussian
- Светлый тигровый питонRussian
- Цейлонский тигровый питонRussian
- පිඹුරාSinhala
- Pytón tigrovitýSlovak
- indijski pitonSlovenian
- tigrasti pitonSlovenian
- இந்திய மலைப்பாம்புTamil
- ಪೆರ್ಮರಿTulu
- రాక్ పైథాన్Telugu
- Hint PitonuTurkish
- Burma pitonuTurkish
- Пітон тигровийUkrainian
- Trăn đấtVietnamese
- 印度蟒Chinese
- 緬甸蟒Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistITISTAXREFWikidataIUCN Red List
Relatives of the Indian python
Other species in the same genus Python.
Ball python
Python regius
Central African rock python
Python sebae
Burmese python
Python bivittatus
Blood python
Python curtus
Angolan python
Python anchietae
Blood python
Python brongersmai
CompareIndian python vs Ball pythonIndian python vs Central African rock pythonIndian python vs Burmese pythonIndian python vs Blood python
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the Indian python?
The Indian python is a snake, a reptile in the order Squamata, suborder Serpentes and family Pythonidae.
How heavy is the Indian python?
The representative adult body mass of the Indian python is 17.1 kg, placing it in the medium size class (1 to 25 kg).
Is the Indian python endangered?
No. It is listed globally as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.
How long does the Indian python live?
Its lifespan is listed as 34.14 years, and the highest value reported by sources is 34.2 years.
How many eggs does the Indian python have?
The Indian python has 27.5 eggs or young per clutch, with 1 clutch or litter per year. Egg incubation lasts 59 days.
When does the Indian python reach maturity?
The Indian python reaches sexual maturity at 3 years, or 1,095 days.
What is the scientific name of the Indian python, and who named it?
Its scientific name is Python molurus, with the authority (Linnaeus, 1758).
What other names does the Indian python have?
It is also called Kaa, Asian rock python, Indian rock python, Asiatic rock python and Black-tailed python.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Indian python (Python molurus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/indian-python
“Indian python (Python molurus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/indian-python.
@misc{indian_python_2026,
title = {Indian python (Python molurus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/indian-python},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}