Sun-basking, a necessity not a leisure: Anthropogenic driven disturbance, changing the basking pattern of the vulnerable Indian rock python in Keoladeo National Park, India

Anthropogenic disturbances significantly alter the basking behavior of the vulnerable Indian rock python (Python molurus) in Keoladeo National Park, India. The study found that pythons in disturbed burrows spent half the time basking compared to those in undisturbed areas, with a peak basking period between 12h00 and 13h00 during active months (November to April). Emergence timings correlated positively with sunrise and increasing temperatures, while retreat timings aligned with sunset. Disturbances from continuous tourist visits disrupted these patterns, highlighting the critical impact of human activity on this species' thermoregulatory behavior. The research estimates a minimum python population of 80 ± 10SD individuals in the park.

Mukherjee, A., Kumara, H. N., & Bhupathy, S. (2018). Sun-basking, a necessity not a leisure: Anthropogenic driven disturbance, changing the basking pattern of the vulnerable Indian rock python in Keoladeo National Park, India. Global Ecology and Conservation, 13, e00368. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2017.e00368