Carpet python
Morelia spilota
Thick bodied with a blotched pattern in browns, creams and olive.
Habitat and distribution
Roof cavities, chook pens and garden trees along most of the coast and inland.
Safety
No venom, but a bite can still hurt. Great at keeping rats down.
Quick facts
- Venom
- Non-venomous. It kills prey by constriction. A bite can still be painful and should be cleaned and checked.
- Size
- Usually 2 to 2.5 m, occasionally up to about 4 m.
- Active
- Mostly at night, but often seen basking by day. Commonly lives in roofs and sheds.
- Diet
- Rats, possums, birds and other warm-blooded animals.
Often confused with
- Diamond python (Morelia spilota spilota)
- Spotted python (Antaresia maculosa)
- Brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis)
Common questions
Are carpet pythons dangerous?
Carpet pythons are not venomous and are not a danger to adults, but they can bite and may take small pets such as birds or guinea pigs. Do not try to move one yourself.
Should I remove a carpet python from my roof?
Pythons in roofs are common and often help control rats. If one needs to be moved, contact a licensed catcher. Pythons are protected wildlife.
Where it is found
Approximate range based on AROD, adapted to our dot grid. Approximate historical reference range; not a habitat or absence assessment. Listed for 12,317 towns and suburbs. Ranges are approximate and do not confirm occurrence at a particular address.
- Other ACT localities, ACT
- Capital Region, NSW
- Central Coast, NSW
- Central West, NSW
- Coffs Harbour - Grafton, NSW
- Far West and Orana, NSW
- Hunter Valley exc Newcastle, NSW
- Illawarra, NSW
- Mid North Coast, NSW
- Murray, NSW
- New England and North West, NSW
- Newcastle and Lake Macquarie, NSW
- Other NSW localities, NSW
- Richmond - Tweed, NSW
- Riverina, NSW
- Southern Highlands and Shoalhaven, NSW
- Sydney - Baulkham Hills and Hawkesbury, NSW
- Sydney - Blacktown, NSW
- Sydney - City and Inner South, NSW
- Sydney - Eastern Suburbs, NSW
- Sydney - Inner South West, NSW
- Sydney - Inner West, NSW
- Sydney - North Sydney and Hornsby, NSW
- Sydney - Northern Beaches, NSW
- Sydney - Outer South West, NSW
- Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains, NSW
- Sydney - Parramatta, NSW
- Sydney - Ryde, NSW
- Sydney - South West, NSW
- Sydney - Sutherland, NSW
- Darwin, NT
- Northern Territory - Outback, NT
- Brisbane - East, QLD
- Brisbane - North, QLD
- Brisbane - South, QLD
- Brisbane - West, QLD
- Brisbane Inner City, QLD
- Cairns, QLD
- Central Queensland, QLD
- Darling Downs - Maranoa, QLD
- Gold Coast, QLD
- Ipswich, QLD
- Logan - Beaudesert, QLD
- Mackay - Isaac - Whitsunday, QLD
- Moreton Bay - North, QLD
- Moreton Bay - South, QLD
- Other QLD localities, QLD
- Queensland - Outback, QLD
- Sunshine Coast, QLD
- Toowoomba, QLD
- Townsville, QLD
- Wide Bay, QLD
- Adelaide - Central and Hills, SA
- Adelaide - North, SA
- Adelaide - South, SA
- Adelaide - West, SA
- Barossa - Yorke - Mid North, SA
- Other SA localities, SA
- South Australia - Outback, SA
- South Australia - South East, SA
- Hume, VIC
- North West, VIC
- Other VIC localities, VIC
- Shepparton, VIC
- Bunbury, WA
- Mandurah, WA
- Other WA localities, WA
- Perth - Inner, WA
- Perth - North East, WA
- Perth - North West, WA
- Perth - South East, WA
- Perth - South West, WA
- Western Australia - Outback, WA
- Western Australia - Outback (North), WA
- Western Australia - Outback (South), WA
- Western Australia - Wheat Belt, WA
Call 1800 4 SNAKE (1800 476 253)
If someone has been bitten, call 000. Never approach or handle a snake to identify it.