Eight species of genus Python live in sub-Saharan Africa and from India to southern China into Southeast Asia, including the Philippines and the Moluccas islands of Indonesia. Other related genera inhabit New Guinea and Australia. Some Australian pythons (genus Liasis) never grow much longer than one metre, but some pythons of Africa (P. sebae), India (P. molurus), New Guinea (L. papuanus), and Australia (L. amethistinus) regularly exceed 3 metres (10 feet).
Despite their large size, some of these species survive in urban and suburban areas, where their secretive habits and recognized value as rat catchers par excellence serve to protect them.
