Devoted motherhood in snakes; a Diamond Python (Morelia spilota) continues parental care of eggs despite repeated disturbance

ABSTRACT An adult Diamond Python (Morelia spilota) was translocated 400 m after being found in a backyard in suburban Sydney. The snake returned to the capture site within three days, at which time a clutch of eggs was discovered nearby. When the clutch was approached the snake left its basking site and coiled around the eggs, which were in the process of hatching. Remarkably, the snake's attachment to its clutch was so strong that the animal (presumably the mother) not only returned to it after being translocated, but also moved to the eggs and coiled around them (apparently in defence of the offspring) on two occasions when the clutch was approached by people.