Scientists are learning more about what sources of meat could serve as more sustainable alternatives to beef, pork and chicken.

Python meat could offer a form of meat much less carbon intensive than the current options, according to researchers who studied farms in Southeast Asia for two species of pythons -- reticulated and Burmese -- for 12 months.

Farmed python meat may offer a more sustainable alternative to other farmed meat because they can reproduce rapidly, even when food is not abundantly available, according to a study published in Scientific Reports on Thursday.

Pythons have an "extreme biology and evolutionary slant toward extreme resource and energy efficiency," Patrick Aust, conservation specialist at nonprofit People for Wildlife and co-author of the paper, told ABC News. Since pythons are an "ambush predator" that chooses prey up to 100% their own weight, they can survive for prolonged periods of time between meals, Aust said.