A giant python called Atomic Betty faces the scales after being put on a diet by Australian zoo keepers.
When Australian python Atomic Betty reached a weight of approaching 300lbs (135kg), her keepers worried that she was gaining weight too fast she needed to watch what she was eating.
Keepers at the Australian Reptile Park in Gosford, 47 miles north of Sydney, put her on a strict diet of only three to four goats a year.
Betty usually swallows a goat in about an hour though it takes up to a week to digest.
Her zoo keepers were pleased to see that while she gained a few extra pounds, the python weighed in at a relatively svelte 302lbs (137kg).
Atomic Betty, who is believed to be the biggest python in Australia, was imported from the US in 2001.
Despite measuring around 22ft (6.5m) Betty still has not reached maturity and is expected to grow several feet in the next seven years.
It took six keepers half an hour to get her into position for her annual weigh-in at the park.
The slimline python is usually found in southeast Asia and, being a constrictor, is non-venomous.
Pythons like Atomic Betty have been known to eat human beings, and are easily strong enough to swallow a person whole.
Source: http://www.telegraph...after-diet.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHAahqgaWgs
When Australian python Atomic Betty reached a weight of approaching 300lbs (135kg), her keepers worried that she was gaining weight too fast she needed to watch what she was eating.
Keepers at the Australian Reptile Park in Gosford, 47 miles north of Sydney, put her on a strict diet of only three to four goats a year.
Betty usually swallows a goat in about an hour though it takes up to a week to digest.
Her zoo keepers were pleased to see that while she gained a few extra pounds, the python weighed in at a relatively svelte 302lbs (137kg).
Atomic Betty, who is believed to be the biggest python in Australia, was imported from the US in 2001.
Despite measuring around 22ft (6.5m) Betty still has not reached maturity and is expected to grow several feet in the next seven years.
It took six keepers half an hour to get her into position for her annual weigh-in at the park.
The slimline python is usually found in southeast Asia and, being a constrictor, is non-venomous.
Pythons like Atomic Betty have been known to eat human beings, and are easily strong enough to swallow a person whole.
Source: http://www.telegraph...after-diet.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHAahqgaWgs
