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Name that snake!

The Woodland Park Zoo's new reticulated python
Ryan Hawk
/
Woodland Park Zoo
The Woodland Park Zoo's new reticulated python

An 8 year old male reticulated python (Python reticulatus) is settling into its new home at Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo. The new 100 pound snake needs a name, and you can submit your suggestion via the Zoo's facebook page through May 13 at noon. Zookeepers will select their five favorite names and fans will then vote May 17 on facebook for their top pick.

The reticulated python is the longest snake in the world, with some rare specimens exceeding 30 feet in length and weighing 300 pounds, though its average size is 10 to 20 feet in length. As a constrictor, the python is not venomous but kills its prey by wrapping around it and suffocating it. The species’ range extends from Myanmar and India, across Southeast Asia and on many of the islands of the Philippines and Indonesia. They are at home on the ground, in caves or in trees and they have adapted to living in towns and cities where they hunt chickens, ducks, rats, and domestic cats, dogs and pigs. 

For more information on activities at the Woodland Park Zoo, visit www.zoo.org.

Dave Meyer has been anchoring KNKX news shows since 1987. He grew up along the shores of Hood Canal near Belfair and graduated from Washington State University with degrees in communications and psychology.