Diamond python
Morelia spilota spilota
Black with cream or yellow spots arranged in diamond-like rosettes.
Habitat and distribution
Coastal New South Wales and far east Victoria.
Safety
A carpet python subspecies. Calm and slow moving.
Quick facts
- Venom
- Non-venomous. It kills prey by constriction.
- Size
- Usually about 2 m, occasionally up to 3 m.
- Active
- By day in warm weather, often basking. Common around homes near bushland.
- Diet
- Rats, possums, birds and other small animals.
Often confused with
- Carpet python (Morelia spilota)
Common questions
Is the diamond python venomous?
No. The diamond python is a non-venomous subspecies of carpet python found on the New South Wales coast and ranges into far eastern Victoria.
How is a diamond python different from a carpet python?
It is a carpet python subspecies with dark, almost black skin and cream or yellow spots arranged in diamond-like rosettes. Where their ranges meet, intermediate patterns are common.
Where it is found
Approximate range based on AROD, adapted to our dot grid. AROD maps the whole carpet-python complex, not this subspecies separately. This coastal estimate interprets its Gosford to north-eastern Victoria description. Listed for 1,599 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
- Illawarra, NSW
- Other NSW localities, 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
Call 1800 4 SNAKE (1800 476 253)
If someone has been bitten, call 000. Never approach or handle a snake to identify it.