A African Rock Python coiled up in typically python fashion on a tree branch. Python sebae, commonly known as the African rock python, is a large, nonvenomous snake of Sub-Saharan Africa. Africa's largest snake and one of the five largest snake species in the world (along with the green anaconda, reticulated python, Burmese python and amethystine python), specimens may approach or exceed 20 ft in length. The southern subspecies is generally smaller than its northern relative. The snake is found in a variety of habitats, from forests to near deserts, although usually near sources of water. The African rock python kills its prey by constriction and often eats animals up to the size of antelope, occasionally even crocodiles. The snake reproduces by egg-laying. Unlike most snakes, the female will protect her nest and sometimes even her hatchlings. (Emirates Park Zoo, Samha, Abu Dhabi, Jan. 2015)