Python natalensis Smith, 1840

Conradie, Werner, Bills, Roger & Branch, William R., 2016, The herpetofauna of the Cubango, Cuito, and lower Cuando river catchments of south-eastern Angola, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation (e 126) 10 (2), pp. 6-36 : 23

Python natalensis Smith, 1840

Southern Rock Python

Material: SARCA 153808 (1), 153811 (30a).

Comment: Large pythons are known from multiple localities in Angola ( Bocage 1895; Monard 1937b; Bogert 1940; Laurent 1954, 1964; Thys van den Audenaerde 1967; Ceríaco et al. 2014, 2016). Following the revision of the Python sebae complex, Broadley (1984) revived P. natalensis for pythons from East and southern Africa. However, scattered populations of P. sebae have subsequently been recorded in East Africa ( Spawls et al. 2002), and the status of pythons in Angola, particularly in the northern Congo drainage, should be re-evaluated. Python natalensis is known from adjacent Namibia and Zambia, and pythons from southern Angola, including our material, are referable to P. natalensis based on head coloration and scalation.