This strikingly beautiful snake is a JUNGLE CARPET PYTHON, an  Australian python species which in the wild is found in the rainforests of a part of north-eastern Queensland, although like all my animals this one was bred in captivity in the UK.  This individual is a 5-year old male and he is about 1.6 metres long.

Jungle carpet pythons have a very beautiful pattern of black (or nearly black) and yellow as you can see, and their skin feels wonderfully smooth and glossy to touch despite being completely dry!

The pattern on the belly is especially pretty on this individual, and as you can see below it is so shiny that it really reflects the light of my camera flash!