iStockphoto / markrhiggins
Carpet pythons are found throughout much of coastal Australia but are primarily concentrated to Queensland and New South Wales on the Eastern side and these common pythons can regularly grow up to 13 feet or more.
A massive specimen was just captured on camera in Queensland slithering off the roof of a home onto a tree. The estimated 16+ foot (5 meter) carpet python is so big that many questioned if it was an optical illusion. In fact, many openly wondered if the footage was even real but fact-checking outlet Snopes has confirmed that this is, in fact, a 16-foot carpet python in Australia.
I first came across this video days ago on TikTok with the caption ‘only in Australia.’ When I saw the video on Sunday I had no idea how much of a global phenomenon this clip would be and I feel a bit silly for not sharing it with you all on Monday because it’s evident this python has struck a nerve with millions.
@iamiandyi Only in Australia will you see a 5 metre long Carpet Snake in the suburbs. PART 2 now available! #snake #onlyinaustralia🇦🇺 #sellthehouse
The top comment sums it up for many: “Carpet SNAKE? Ma’am that is a DINOSAUR.” Someone else openly wondered “does Australia know they are the only ones still living with dinosaurs?” And to that I would say, come visit Florida where we have alligators, crocodiles, and 44 native snake species just to name a few ‘dinosaurs.’
On TikTok alone the clip has been viewed over 26.5 million times. It’s also gone viral on Instagram and major news outlets in Australia have even shared it on YouTube:
Fun facts about carpet pythons
Carpet pythons (Morelia spilota) is actually catch all term used to describe the many subspecies. The International Union for Conservation of Nature recognizes 8 subspecies of carpet python while the Integrated Taxonomic Information System only lists six. Regardless, there are quite a few subspecies of this snake.
The Morelia spilota mcdowelli is the largest subspecies with snakes regularly reaching 10-feet in length. Presumably, this one above is of the mcdowelli subspecies and is just an absolute unit with a honey hole for a prey. A snake doesn’t get that large without an abundant food source nearby.
Carpet pythons are popular pets for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, they are gorgeous snakes and they can also be found in an array of coloring and markings. As seen above, they can also grow to enormous sizes which is something exotic pet collectors often seek out.