South African pythons snake

South African pythons lose 40% of their body mass during the reproductive cycle

"All this causes damage to the python mothers: after breeding they need a lot of time to recover and, therefore, they can only produce one clutch every two or three years, depending on the food they can get in the months after the nest is abandoned. Some never recover, "adds the herpetologist, who has recorded the reproductive behavior of these snakes through the use of infrared video cameras, carefully introduced into the nests. Another important finding of his study has been the observation of male pythons following receptive females for months: "In one case, a male was recorded following a female along more than two kilometers and for a period of more than three months. "