Meet Kahn

Basking comfortably in the warmth of his large cage in the Nature Center at World Bird Sanctuary, you will find Kahn, the albino Burmese python.  Kahn has been a resident of the sanctuary since about 1998, when he flew to St. Louis from Rapid City, South Dakota in the coat pocket of Walter C. Crawford Jr.

Kahn, World Bird Sanctuary’s Albino Burmese Python (photo: Dawn Griffard)

Kahn is an albino Burmese Python (Python bivittatus).  The term albino refers to the fact that this particular animal lacks pigment in his skin.  In animals, albinism is a hereditary condition characterized by the absence of pigment in the eyes, skin, hair, scales, feathers or cuticles.  It is a recessive gene (meaning the gene’s traits are rare to see) passed down by one of the parent animals.

 

Unfortunately, albino animals do not fare well in the wild.  They fall easy prey to predators since they have much difficulty camouflaging their bright body color. 

Normal color Burmese Pythons may be pale tan, yellowish-brown or gray.  On top of this base color are large reddish blotches outlined in cream or gold.  Kahn does have the Burmese Python blotches, but they are the same yellow as the rest of his body and are outlined in white.  His eyes are pale red instead of gold.

Burmese Pythons are one of the largest snakes on Earth, averaging 16-23 feet in length and up to 200 pounds.  Their girth can be as big as a telephone pole.  Female Burmese Pythons are the larger of the two sexes and usually have a different coloration and a smaller head relative to the body.

If you are considering a Burmese Python, remember that they can reach 23 feet long, weigh up to 200 lbs., and live as long as 30 years--are you ready for that responsibility?

Our Kahn weighs about 70 pounds and is 12 feet long.  He was the runt of his litter and was not doing well when he was hatched at Black Hills Reptile Gardens, so Executive Director Walter Crawford, offered to bring him back to WBS for some focused attention.  He arrived at the sanctuary when he was only 12 inches long.

The life span of these snakes is 20-30 years.  Since our Kahn is only about 16 years old, he has a long life ahead of him!

Burmese pythons are indigenous to southern China, Burma, Indochina, Thailand, and the Malay Archipelago. These snakes generally live in rainforests near streams, although they survive in a variety of habitats, such as grasslands, swamps, marshes, and rocky foothills.   Populations are dependent upon a permanent source of water.  Interestingly, Burmese pythons are excellent swimmers and can stay underwater for up to 30 minutes before surfacing for air.  They use their powerful body muscles to flow gracefully in the water.

Kahn in his swimming pool (photo: JoHanna Burton)

They have very poor eyesight, but can use the special chemical receptors on their tongue and the super-sensitive heat-sensing pits around their mouth to find food.  Pythons are constrictors, which means they grab their prey with their teeth and coil their muscular bodies around it and squeeze until the prey is suffocated.  Because they don’t use venom, they do not have fangs.  However, they do have many rows of backward curving teeth that allow them to grab prey and not allow it to escape.

In the wild, Burmese pythons will eat small mammals, reptiles and birds.  They swallow their prey whole and spend the next several days to weeks keeping warm enough to digest their meal.  Like most snakes, Burmese pythons can unhinge their jaws and have special ligaments that allow them to swallow an animal four to five times as wide as their heads.

Our Kahn eats pre-killed food items, which are much safer than live prey.  Snakes that are born into and live in captivity generally lose some of their wild inborn ability to catch and kill prey items quickly and efficiently.  Because of this, they can often be bitten by that prey animal.  In turn, that bite may turn into a dangerous infected wound.  The snake may also react to such an attack by learning that the smell of that prey animal means “fear and injury” instead of “food”; subsequently becoming a problem eater.

Closeup of Kahn (photo: Dawn Trainor Griffard)

The plight of the Burmese python in the wild is extreme.  Native populations are considered to be threatened and are listed on CITES (Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species) Appendix II.  Although the snake is widespread throughout their range, they are diminishing in numbers.

Hundreds of thousands of these snakes are killed for their skins – which are made into accessory items such as shoes, boots, belts and other items.  Their blood and gall is used in folk medicine, and for “snake wine” in Viet Nam.  Young snakes are captured and sold in the pet trade.  Some snakes are commercially bred for these purposes, but too many are still removed from the wild.

Conversely, non-native populations of Burmese pythons are booming as an introduced species in southern Florida.  Populations begun by overwhelmed and irresponsible pet owners, who thought it was a good idea to release their pet snakes when they got too big to handle, have flourished in the warm and humid Florida climate.  These unnatural introductions are having devastating consequences on the Florida ecosystem.  Preying on many different native species and therefore competing with the native natural predators, these Burmese Pythons are seriously impacting the natural order of the ecological community.  Over 2,000 Burmese pythons have been removed from Everglades National Park.   Although the Burmese Python will likely never be eradicated from south Florida, the National Park Service has been taking great strides to manage the existing population.

If you are considering a snake as a pet please remember that this species grows too large for most home environments (Photo: Gay Schroer)

Considering these grim facts about our wild Burmese pythons, it seems they will never be seen in a good, respectful light.  Snakes are often not seen as desirable, important creatures overall, but they serve a great purpose to their native environments, as rodent control for one example.

Our Kahn is an important symbol for the exploited native wild animal populations that are disappearing quickly on our planet, and as one who has unwittingly become a “nuisance animal” as an introduced species by the irresponsible human hand.

Please consider showing your support of this troubled species by adopting Kahn into your family today.  Your $50.00 adoption fee will help feed, house and care for Kahn in the coming year.  Your donation will make a great difference.   Kahn does not yet have a family of his own, and it would be wonderful to have his nobility recognized!

Submitted by Dawn Griffard, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist

Snakes As Pets

Thinking about getting a new pet?  How about a snake?

Snakes are intriguing animals, and they can make a great addition to the family as a pet—especially for those people with allergies to more conventional pets, such as dogs, cats and birds.  With regular handling, snakes can be very docile animals.  However, there are a few things to consider before getting your slithery friend.

 The Dumeril’s Boa grows to a length of about 6.5 feet (photo: Paige Davis)

Many snakes live relatively long lives, surpassing 20 years.  Be sure that you are willing to commit to keeping your pet snake for its entire life.  Snakes also eat prey items like mice and rats.  Often these can be stored frozen then fed thawed, so you would need to devote some space in your freezer for snake food.  Finally, snakes can be great escape artists from their enclosures.  They will search out any spaces they can squeeze through.  It is important to have a secure cage for your pet.

 

Snakes are great animals both to handle and to view!  They will make use of their enclosure space, and you can watch them climb and explore for hours.  Being cold blooded, snakes only need to be fed approximately once a week as babies, and often  even less as they grow.  This also means less poo to clean up!  They are solitary animals that do not need attention constantly, and they will be fine if left alone during the day.

Average length for the King Snake is 2-4 feet, occasionally longer (photo: Paige Davis)

So, which kind of snake is right for you? There are several species of snakes that make excellent pets.  Some great options for a beginner snake owner include: Ball Pythons, Corn Snakes, Milk Snakes, and King Snakes.  All of these species have simple housing requirements and are reluctant to bite with regular handling.  In fact, the Ball Python gets its name because it will often curl up into a ball rather than bite when frightened.

Kahn, WBS’s Albino Burmese Pythons is currently 12 feet long and 70 lbs—and is still growing!  (Photo: WBS Staff)

Beginners should avoid very large species such as Burmese Pythons, venomous snakes, and species with difficult housing requirements.  It is easy to buy a snake as a small baby, but it is important to know how large they will become.  Pet stores regularly sell species such as the Red-tailed Boa.  This snake will fit in the palm of your hand when it is a baby, but once fully grown, it can reach lengths of 10 feet or more!  They require very large enclosures as adults and will need to be fed bigger prey items, such as rabbits.

There are many options available to you when buying a pet snake.  Through captive breeding to produce certain colors, many species come in beautiful color morphs, such as lavender and pastel.  Ball Pythons and Corn Snakes are some of the most diverse looking species, and they come in a variety of colors.  You will want to choose a snake that is eating regularly and has clear and healthy eyes and skin.

The most important thing to do before buying any new pet is to research its care before you buy.  Once you have everything you need, you will be ready for a great new addition to your family.

To see some of the species mentioned above come out and visit the World Bird Sanctuary's nature center.  Our naturalists will be happy to answer your questions about the snakes we care for on a daily basis.

Submitted by Paige Davis, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist

You Can't Con A Kahn

Welcome back readers!  Here's a riddle for you: what has no arms, no legs, is white and yellow, and has allergies?

Kahn makes an appearance at a Birds in Concert performance (photo by Gay Schroer)

If you were thinking Khan the albino Burmese Python that resides at the World Bird Sanctuary, then you're correct!  This species is one of the largest snakes in the world!

Here is a picture of Kahn taking a bath outside.  He seems to love the water! (photo by Lisbeth Hodges)

Burmese Pythons (Python bivittatus) are native to Southeast Asia.  They are a popular reptile pet in the pet trade.  Their diet is mostly small mammals and they will also eat birds.

Burmese Pythons average up to 200 pounds and range from 8-16 feet long.  Kahn is on the smaller scale.  He is just shy of 13 feet and weighs 76 pounds.  The longest snake species in the world is the Reticulated Python.  They can get up to 33 feet long!  The heaviest living snake in the world is a Burmese Python named “Baby” that is 27 feet (8.23 meters) long and weighs 403 pounds (183 kilograms)!  If you visit the Serpent Safari Park in Illinois you can see him! 

Burmese Pythons are popular animals for people who want to have an exotic pet.  However, when purchasing their pet many people don’t realize how large they become. When they get too big for their owners they will sometimes be released into the wild.  At other times these giant snakes will escape from their homes and become feral animals.

These snakes were first reported around the year 2000 in the Everglades National Park here in the U.S., and have been a problem ever since. They have proliferated in the  Everglades in Florida and are now considered an invasive species.  Between 2000 and 2002, over 1,800 were removed from the area by the National Park Service.  The Park Service believes it is only a small fraction of what is still present today.

Kahn came to us from a friend of Walter Crawford, Executive Director of the World Bird Sanctuary.  He is at least twenty years old now.  The normal lifespan is 20-25 years in the wild, but can increase up to 30-35 years in captivity. 

One of the most frequent questions that I get asked is, “Is that snake poisonous?” Snakes are not poisonous.  Snakes are either venomous or non-venomous.  All the snakes at World Bird Sanctuary are non-venomous constrictors.  The term constrictor refers to how some snakes kill their prey.  Kahn’s diet consists of frozen, then thawed rabbits.  When he is given the rabbit, he first constricts (squeezes) it for a period of time.  If the rabbit is large enough, Kahn then unhinges his jaw and slowly starts to swallow. 

In the beginning of the blog I mentioned allergies.  Yes, this snake does have allergies! He has seasonal allergies just like people!  We check his nose every day and give him drops as necessary.  He also has a humidifier in his exhibit to help keep the air moist around him.  Kahn has a unique color mutation called albinism that affects the pigment in his skin.  Below you can view a picture of a normal colored Burmese next to a close up picture of Kahn.

Normal colored Burmese Python (photo from the Wikimedia Commons files)

Close-up of Kahn (photo by Lisbeth Hodges)

Kahn is available for adoption in our Adoption program.  To find out more information, call 636-861-3225.  All adoption donations are tax deductible. 

This season Kahne can be seen at the nature center at the World Bird Sanctuary, which is open daily from 8am-5pm. 

Kahn is a very handsome snake; you should stop on by and visit him! 

Submitted by Lisbeth Hodges, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist