AnimalsThe Indian python is a large, heavy snake with no venom. It kills by coiling round its prey and squeezing. It moves slowly and swims well. The female coils around her eggs to guard and warm them.
Quick facts
- Scientific name
- Python molurus
- Group
- Reptiles
- Diet
- Carnivore (eats other animals)
- Lives in
- South Asia
- Habitat
- Forests, grassland and marshes
- A young one is called
- hatchling
- A group is called
- no special name
- Conservation status
- Near Threatened
How it is classified
Scientists sort living things into groups within groups. Reading down, each step is a smaller group, ending with the species itself.
- Kingdom Animalia
- Phylum Chordata
- Class Reptilia
- Order Squamata
- Family Pythonidae
- Genus Python
- Species Python molurus
More distant relatives in the order Squamata: common house gecko, Indian cobra, king cobra, Komodo dragon, veiled chameleon.
Classification follows the GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Other reference works arrange some groups differently. How classification works.
Is it in danger?
The Indian python is listed as Near Threatened. The species is not yet classed as threatened, but it is close and may become so soon.
This is the IUCN Red List category as recorded in Wikidata on 11 November 2026. The IUCN Red List itself is the authority and may carry a newer assessment. What the categories mean.