Lesser African python
Python natalensis Smith, 1840
Status not recordedsnakes
The lesser African python (Python natalensis) is a species in the family Pythonidae, order Squamata. Recorded adults weigh about 73 kg and live up to 30 years.
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Quick facts about the lesser African python
- Weight
- 73 kg
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- 27.3 years – 30 years
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- Not recorded
- Egg incubation
- 81 days
- Young per litter or clutch
- 50
- Age at maturity
- 4 years
- Litters or clutches a year
- 1
- Conservation status
- Not recorded
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Where does the lesser African python live?
Not recorded
Is the lesser African python endangered?
No conservation assessment is recorded for this species in our sources. That is not the same as being safe: it has not been matched to an assessment.
How is the lesser African python classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classReptilia
- orderSquamata
- familyPythonidae
- genusPython
- SpeciesPython natalensis Smith, 1840
Synonyms Heleionomus variegatus, Python saxuloides, Python sebae natalensis
Other names and names in other languages (2)
- Southern African pythonEnglish
- Südlicher FelsenpythonGerman
Relatives of the lesser African python
Other species in the same genus Python.
Ball python
Python regius
Indian python
Python molurus
Central African rock python
Python sebae
Burmese python
Python bivittatus
Blood python
Python curtus
Angolan python
Python anchietae
CompareLesser African python vs Ball pythonLesser African python vs Indian pythonLesser African python vs Central African rock pythonLesser African python vs Burmese python
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the lesser African python?
An adult lesser African python weighs 73 kg, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
How long does the lesser African python live?
The lesser African python has a recorded lifespan of 27.3 years – 30 years.
What kind of animal is the lesser African python?
The lesser African python (Python natalensis) belongs to the family Pythonidae in the order Squamata.
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 - AmphiBIO, a global database for amphibian ecological traits · CC BY 4.0 · v1
Oliveira, B.F., São-Pedro, V.A., Santos-Barrera, G., Penone, C. & Costa, G.C. (2017) AmphiBIO, a global database for amphibian ecological traits. Scientific Data 4: 170123. https://doi.org/10.1038/sdata.2017.123. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.4644424.v5 - AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - 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). - EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals · CC0 1.0 · 1.0
Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1 - 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). Lesser African python (Python natalensis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/lesser-african-python
“Lesser African python (Python natalensis).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/lesser-african-python.
@misc{lesser_african_python_2026,
title = {Lesser African python (Python natalensis)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/lesser-african-python},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}