Morelia spilota
Silhouette: SeismicShrimp · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Morelia spilota, commonly known as the carpet python, is a large snake of the family Pythonidae found in Australia, New Guinea (Indonesia and Papua New Guinea), Bismarck Archipelago, and the northern Solomon Islands. Many subspecies are recognised; ITIS lists six, the Reptile Database six, and the IUCN eight.
The average adult length is roughly 2 m (6.6 ft). However, one 3-year-old captive male M. s. mcdowelli, measured in Ireland, was found to exceed 396 cm (12.99 ft). Males are typically smaller than females; in some regions, females are up to four times heavier. The head is triangular with a conspicuous row of thermoreceptive labial pits.
The colouring of M. spilota is highly variable, ranging from olive to black with white or cream and gold markings. The patterning may be roughly diamond-shaped or have intricate markings made up of light... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Booderee National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Springbrook National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Noosa National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 8 | Flinders Ranges National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 9 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Busch Gardens Tampa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Denver Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Aquarium of Genoa | 🇮🇹 Italy | |
| 4 | Antwerp Zoo | 🇧🇪 Belgium | |
| 5 | Greensboro Science Center | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Toronto Zoo | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 7 | Columbus Zoo and Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Bronx Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Kansas City Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Brookfield Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Safari Madrid | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 12 | Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 13 | Kyabram Fauna Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 14 | Cape May County Park & Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 15 | Silesian Zoological Garden | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 16 | Yaroslavl Zoo | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 17 | Guadalajara Zoo | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 18 | Kyiv Zoo | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | |
| 19 | Saint Louis Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 20 | Healesville Sanctuary | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 21 | Woodland Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 22 | Gatorland | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 23 | Lisbon Zoo | 🇵🇹 Portugal | |
| 24 | Taronga Zoo | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 25 | Cleland Wildlife Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 26 | Houston Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 27 | Zoológico la pastroa | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 28 | Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 29 | Almaty Zoo | 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan | |
| 30 | Melbourne Zoo | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 31 | Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 32 | Great Plains Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 33 | Tierpark Hagenbeck | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 34 | Perth Zoo | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 35 | Cologne Zoological Garden | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 36 | Nikolaev Zoo | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | |
| 37 | Chapultepec Zoo | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 38 | Budapest Zoo & Botanical Garden | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 39 | London Zoo | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 40 | Plock Zoo | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 41 | African Village | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | |
| 42 | Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 43 | Buffalo Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 44 | Pueblo Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 45 | Reserva Zoológica Oasys MiniHollywood | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 46 | Billabong Sanctuary | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 47 | National Zoological Gardens of Sri Lanka | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 48 | Sydney Zoo | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 49 | Kazan Zoo & Botanical Garden | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 50 | Monterey Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Carpet Python sighting in Kakadu National Park on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 43rd most-seen of the 54 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July to September
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Carpet Python in Kakadu National Park on a given day, against under 5% in October to June, the lowest months. Those are among Kakadu National Park's driest months, with about 10 mm of rain a month against 350 mm in January.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Carpet Python sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
9th of 9
Of the 9 parks where we can rate Carpet Python sightings, Kakadu National Park ranks 9th at about 10%. The best odds are in Lamington National Park (Australia, about 70%), Booderee National Park (Australia, about 50%) and Springbrook National Park (Australia, about 50%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Pythonidae
The closest relatives of the Carpet Python that you can see in Kakadu National Park (family Pythonidae, Pythons) are Children's Python (about 30%), Water Python (about 30%) and Olive Python (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Carpet Python is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Kakadu National Park (6 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
