Children's python (Antaresia childreni) is found in the tropics of northern Australia. This is a small species normally less than 2 feet in length and probably does not exceed 39 inches. The color is somewhat reddish.

Pythons (Family Pythonidae) are found in the Old World with a large percentage of the species found in the vicinity of Australia and New Guinea. 13 of the species are native to Australia. Several very large snakes are included in this family including the various pythons (genus Python). These snakes kill their prey by constriction, the act of wrapping their body around their victims and squeezing them to death. There are about 26 species in this family, currently arranged into about 8 genera.

In an AP article that appeared around Jan 3, 2012 by Matt Sedensky it was noted that there were tens of thousands of Burmese pythons and other constrictors established in the Everglades of Florida, North America. In areas were these giant snakes were established the sightings of raccoons, opossusms, bobcats, and deer has dropped by 87% to 99%. Rabbits and foxes were no longer seen in these areas.

Lizards and Snakes (Squamata Order) share many common characteristics and consequently they are grouped in a single order. There are greater differences between some groups of lizards than there are between other groups of lizards and snakes. The same is true of snakes. Lizards and snakes share a common skull shape. There are perhaps 4,000 species of lizards and perhaps 2,700 species of snakes alive today. In the Great Big Book of Snakes and Reptiles published in 2014, they noted the above estimates.

Reptiles (Class Reptilia) are an ancient group of scaled chordates. These scales may be permanently joined, as in the turtles, or flexible, as in the snakes. Reptiles are land-based. Their eggs are laid on land and the young are air breathing.

In the Great Big Book of Snakes and Reptiles published in 2014, they noted that there are more than 7,000 species of reptiles alive today.

Backboned Animals (Phylum Chordata) are the most advanced group of animals on earth. These animals are characterized by having a spinal cord or backbone. Most members have a clearly defined brain that controls the organism through a spinal cord. Fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals are in this phylum.

Currently, some taxonomists believe that the fish should be divided into two groups (sharks and regular fishes) and that there are some other primitive groups in the phylum such as hagfish or lampreys.

Animal Kingdom contains numerous organisms that feed on other animals or plants. Included in the animal kingdom are the lower marine invertebrates such as sponges and corals, the jointed legged animals such as insects and spiders, and the backboned animals such as fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.

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