Pictured: The 22ft python who needs SEVEN
zoo keepers to carry her to her health check
While we all tend to dread visits to the doctor – not
many of us require seven people to get us there. But Bali the python is no
ordinary patient, and as she measures 22ft in length, the great snake
required a team of zoo
keepers to carry her in for her health check.
The
reticulated python, who lives in Chester Zoo,
had her eyes covered to keep her calm as she was checked over.
Long load: Chester Zoo staff carry Bali the 22ft python
to a health check
Curator of lower Vertebrates and Invertebrates Richard Gibson soothes
Bali ahead of her visit to the doctor These
snakes feed on rodents, small mammals and birds, while larger specimens
have been known to eat small primates and pigs – and even reportedly
humans.
They have
sharp teeth which they use to hold their prey before crushing and
suffocating them with their body.
Female
reticulated pythons are capable of laying between 60 and 100 eggs at a
time, which take between 70 -90 days to hatch.
Slippery customer: An agitated Bali bears her
fangs