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General Information About the Children's Python (Antarasia childreni)
Children's Pythons are the second smallest python in the world (second to the Ant Hill Python). John Grey named this python after his former mentor and supervisor, John Children. They are native to Northwestern Australia. Their average adult length is 3 feet. When they are young, Chidren's Pythons are generally reddish-brown with dark brown patches or spots. As they age, these patterns fade resulting in a mostly dark brown to black snake with many older snakes showing no pattern at all. They may be found listed under the name Liasis childreni or Antaresia childreni. In most recent literature, they are grouped within the genus Liasis. Children's Pythons are closely related to and strongly resemble Spotted Pythons, Antaresia maculosa and the Blotched Python, Antaresia stimsoni. In many cases, captive Chidren's Pythons and Spotted Pythons have been misidentified and are sold under the wrong name. This makes it difficult to determine whether or not offspring are pure crosses. In the wild, these pythons are known to eat birds, lizards, and occasionally hang from the mouths of caves in order to catch bats in flight.
They are also called the faded python due to the reduction of pattern as they mature. They inhabit many different habitats, and because of this adaptability are well suited to do well in captivity. In the wild, children's pythons feed on lizards and frogs when young, and may include some mammalian prey as adults.