Tight Squeeze
“Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made” (Genesis 3:1). Ever since the temptation and fall of man in Genesis, the serpent (or snake) has been the symbol of sin. Many people might wonder whether this was a real, literal snake. But keep in mind that Satan is crafty and cunning and can masquerade as many things. In this instance, he posed as a serpent, and as a result of the temptation and fall of man, God cursed this creature to crawl on its belly – a prophetic foreshadowing of the future destruction of Satan. The Scriptures seem clear that the serpent went through a physical change, but we don’t know what it might have looked like before the curse.
Today snakes are observed crawling around on their belly in the wild and in captivity all around the world in many varieties, colors and sizes. The Burmese python is one of the largest snakes, weighing up to 200 pounds and stretching out to 20 feet long. The female pythons are typically larger than males.
Burmese pythons are found in Southeast Asia including India, China, Thailand and Indonesia. They are accomplished swimmers and are typically seen around rivers, marshes, grasslands and swamps.
Can you imagine what it would be like to eat only one meal per week? Well, this is the standard appetite of pythons, as they normally go days without eating. When it is time to eat, they usually prey on small mammals, birds, and reptiles by suffocating them through constriction.
God created the Burmese python with many amazing features. For an example, female pythons have the capability of raising their body temperature while incubating their eggs. The heat is produced when the snake twitches its muscles and increases the temperature to a level slightly above that of the ambient air. Burmese python hatchlings are anywhere between 18-29 inches long and weigh about four ounces.
Another incredible design characteristic is its olfaction (or sense of smell). Pythons have a remarkable ability to catch their prey in light or dark conditions because of an unusual feature called the Jacobson’s organ (located in the roof of their mouths), which allows these snakes to “smell” with their tongues. Pythons have another sense organ in their upper lips, where there are small heat pits (holes) which help them to detect heat radiations from animals close by.
Generally, snakes have only one lung, but pythons have two, one of which is much smaller than the other. Their eyes are protected by a thin epidermal membrane, which makes up for not having eyelids.
Creatures of Creation’s python is named “Julius Squeezer”, a gorgeous and very large albino Burmese Python. Julius Squeezer is a 15 foot-long snake that always draws his share of gasps at community outreaches.
While Burmese Pythons, like all snakes, are a grim reminder of the crafty deception that took place in the Garden of Eden, they are certainly one of the most fascinating creatures mentioned in Scripture. Hopefully, they will also serve as a reminder to us that “as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:14).
Sources:
- Dan Breeding, professional animal trainer, Creatures of Creation Ministries
- “Burmese Python”, The Oakland Zoo
oaklandzoo.org - Burmese Python”, The Columbus Zoo
colzoo.org - “Burmese Python” Stacey D. Mooney
whozoo.org - Melissa Kaplan’s Herp Care Collection
anapsid.org
