Python sebae (Gmelin, 1789)

Pauwels, Olivier S. G., Morelle, Stephan, Albert, Jean-Louis, Carlino, Piero, Rahola, Nil & Trape, Jean-François, 2019, New reptile records from Lékédi Park and Haut-Ogooué Province, southeastern Gabon, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation (e 174) 13 (1), pp. 143-161 : 154

Python sebae (Gmelin, 1789)

The record of the species from Plateaux Batéké NP by Christy et al. (2008) was based on a pers. comm. to OSGP by Gaël Vande weghe who observed an individual along Mpassa River in the NP in April 2007, and on a picture of a large adult individual shown in Pearson et al. (2007). On 15 January 2018 at 13h00 SM discovered a juvenile in Lékédi Park ( Fig. 29). We examined photographs taken on 16 July 2017 by A.N. Eyeang Mba of an adult individual of about four meters long that had been shot by a hunter the previous night in Moanda, Lébombi-Léyou Dept. New record for the park and new Dept. records (not recorded from these Depts. by Mocquard 1887; Pauwels and Vande weghe 2008; Pauwels et al. 2016b, 2017e, 2018c). In spite of a heavy hunting pressure, this python is still common in Gabon, including in urban areas, and is known from twelve Gabonese protected areas (Pauwels, 2016).