Highlighted below is an interesting excerpt from a Facebook conversation I had with Australian herpetologist Richard Wells regarding reports of a large unknown python species that he was told about by the local Aboriginals when he worked in the Northen Territory. Richard, who is a highly talented and knowledgeable herpetologist, published a number of controversial taxonomic papers on Australian reptiles in his own publication called “Australian Journal of Herpetology” in the 1980's. The ABC did a feature documentery about the maverick herpetologist which I was lucky enough to record when it aired on tv back in the 1980‘s. I have posted the video from my youtube channel at the bottom of this blog . As well as the giant python reports, Richard also collected several other very interesting Cryptozoological sighting/reports, all of which are documented in Dr Karl Shuker's fantastic book “Alien Zoo." These include an unknown aquatic reptile in the Mary River and some type of strange Cassowarie or Emu like bird. Following is a fascinating description given to me by Richard, of the unknown, possibly aquatic large serpent species which has not yet been entered into the world of Linnaean taxonomy.".
“In my opinion - derived from what I was told by aboriginals and others in the Northern Territory - I think there could very well be a large unknown python that is an ecological analogue of the Anaconda living a totally aquatic existence in at least the north-west of the Northern Territory where floating meadow swamps still exist. What was described to me was definitely not oenpelliensis ....Regards"- Richard Wells
As can be seen from Richard’s brief description above, he distinguishes the undescribed python species from the Oenpelli Python “Simalia oenpelliensis, formerly Morelia oenpelliensis” which look somewhat like a giant children’s python on steroids and were described as recently as 1977 by herpetologist Graeme Gow. They are confined to the tropical woodlands and sandstone gorge country in western Arnhem Land. The beauty of the Oenpelli python has been described by herpetologist professor Richard Shine, quote - "To see one of these giant ghostly snakes stretched out on the Arnhem Land escarpment in the moonlight is one of the great sights of Australian herpetology."
Richard Wells description and comparison to the anaconda brings to mind the extinct prehistoric serpent “Wonambi naracootensis” which could have possibly been an aquatic species and along with the larger representatives of the Morelia family, such as the Oenpelli Python, probably form the archetypal origin of the legendery Rainbow Serpent of Aboriginal mythology. The Rainbow Serpent myth may even represent a primal memory of Aboriginal encounters with the Wonambi python in prehistoric Australia.
“In my opinion - derived from what I was told by aboriginals and others in the Northern Territory - I think there could very well be a large unknown python that is an ecological analogue of the Anaconda living a totally aquatic existence in at least the north-west of the Northern Territory where floating meadow swamps still exist. What was described to me was definitely not oenpelliensis ....Regards"- Richard Wells
As can be seen from Richard’s brief description above, he distinguishes the undescribed python species from the Oenpelli Python “Simalia oenpelliensis, formerly Morelia oenpelliensis” which look somewhat like a giant children’s python on steroids and were described as recently as 1977 by herpetologist Graeme Gow. They are confined to the tropical woodlands and sandstone gorge country in western Arnhem Land. The beauty of the Oenpelli python has been described by herpetologist professor Richard Shine, quote - "To see one of these giant ghostly snakes stretched out on the Arnhem Land escarpment in the moonlight is one of the great sights of Australian herpetology."
Richard Wells description and comparison to the anaconda brings to mind the extinct prehistoric serpent “Wonambi naracootensis” which could have possibly been an aquatic species and along with the larger representatives of the Morelia family, such as the Oenpelli Python, probably form the archetypal origin of the legendery Rainbow Serpent of Aboriginal mythology. The Rainbow Serpent myth may even represent a primal memory of Aboriginal encounters with the Wonambi python in prehistoric Australia.
“It’s relatively thick body suggests that Wonambi may have been at least partly aquatic. Most of the large boids live close to water and the largest, the Anaconda, is always found near permanent water”. - Kadimakara Extinct Vertebrates of Australia
The giant prehistoric python "Wonambi Naracoortensis"
illustration from "Kadimakara Extinct Vertebrates of Australia"
illustration from "Kadimakara Extinct Vertebrates of Australia"
RSS Feed