African Rock Python
The African rock python. It is Domain: Eukarya. Domain is the highest taxonomic rank of organisms, higher than a kingdom. The African rock python falls under Eukarya because it is a multicellular organism composed of eukaryotic cells. It is Kingdom: Anamalia. Kingdom is the second highest rank. It falls under Anamalia for obvious reasons. It is Phylum: Chordata. Phylum is the primary division of the plant or animal kingdom. It is Class: Reptilia. Class is a group of related plants or animals, in the general classification of plants and animals. The African rock python falls under Reptilia because it has a characteristic of being cold-blooded. It is Order: Squamata. Order is a taxonomic rank used in classifying organisms, generally below the class, and comprised of families sharing a set of similar nature or characteristics. The African rock python shed their skin periodically and have very flexible jaws, which are characteristics of Squamata. It is Family: Pythonidae. Organisms belonging to the same family would have evolved from the same ancestors and share relatively common characteristics. The Pythonidae family is a family of non-venomous snakes who are powerful constrictors that wrap around their prey to kill it. This family includes the African rock python. It’s Genus: Python. In binomial nomenclature, the genus is used as the first word of a scientific name. It’s Species: Python sebae. Species is the second part of the name is the binomial nomenclature. The name Python Sebae was derived from the Greek mythology, which refers to a huge serpent.
The largest snake in Africa and the third largest snake in the world, the African rock python, have long bulky bodies. Snakes are considered vertebrates because they have a backbone, a closed circulatory system, where the heart and blood vessels are continuously contracting. The blood never leaves the blood vessels. The outer layer of the epidermis is thick and lacks glands. It is