Python regius Ball Python Class: Reptilia. Order: Squamata. Family: Pythonidae. Other names: Royal python
Physical Description: Ball pythons are stocky, boldly patterned animals. The pattern of ovoid blotches on a brown or bluish- brown background varies considerably but almost always includes some shade of yellow. Like other pythons, they have short tails, relatively smooth, small back scales and large, transverse, light-colored belly scales. Most have light-colored “racing” stripes that join at the snout and run along the side of the face to the rear of the animal’s head. The stripe is broken by the eye which is located at about midpoint. Ball pythons can reach three to five feet in length.
The Pythonidae, commonly known as pythons, from the Greek word python, are a family of non-venomous snakes found in Africa, Asia and Australia. Among its members are some of the largest snakes in the world. The reticulated python has been recorded at over 22 feet in length! There are about 30 species worldwide
Diet in the Wild: Rodents, small mammals, birds. Pythons are non-venomous constrictors
Diet at the Zoo: Rodents such as rats and mice.
Habitat & Range: Grasslands (savannahs, sparsely wooded plains) of West Africa. Mammal burrows and similar subterranean retreats are used for aestivation during the dry season.
Life Span: Average in captivity is 15 years.
Perils in the wild: Predators such as birds of prey, small mammals and other reptiles all can prey on young snakes of any species. Human activity can also have a negative effect on snakes in the wild.
Physical Adaptations: Ball pythons have a Jacobson’s organ, pair of pit-like organs on the roof of the mouth that are lined with olfactory cells and nerves that interpret chemical stimuli in an animal’s surroundings. Their forked tongue, flickering through the air, picks up scent particles and conveys them to the roof of their mouth Along the python’s upper jaws, several scales cup inward forming heat sensing pits. These pits are packed with nerves that can sense infrared or body heat and are so deleicate that a temperature change of only 3/1000th of a degree can send a signal to the snake that prey is nearby.
Behavioral Adaptations: Ball pythons are nocturnal or active at night. Like most snakes, ball pythons are mainly solitary. Camouflaged in coloration and hisses to frighten predators, bites if necessary. Coils into a ball for protection. 04/2013
Reproduction and Development: Ball pythons are oviparous, or an egg-laying animal. The female coils her body around the eggs and remains in this position until the eggs hatch; incubation may last up to 90 days. The eggs are unusually large, and a typical clutch consists of six or seven. Mammal burrows often are used as nests. Like all reptiles, ball pythons are ectothermic. Yet the females coil about their eggs for the full incubation period, raising the temperature by muscular contractions. The female, coiling and uncoiling around the eggs, supplies a more reliable and constant temperature than would be provided by decomposing plant material, for example. Further, the female’s presence serves as protection against predators. Once hatching has occurred the hatchlings are left on their own as are all newborn snakes.
Additional Information: It is also known as royal python based in part on the story that Cleopatra supposedly wore the snake around her wrist. The popular name of “ball python” derives from the fact that these snakes coil into a ball when threatened, with the head and neck tucked between the coils. In this position the snake literally can be rolled or tossed about. In at least one African tribe pythons were once venerated. Anyone killing a python was locked inside a hut which was ignited. If the culprit was able to escape from the burning structure, he was allowed to go free. In some regions of Africa it was believed that the python would kill bulls but spare the cows so it might squeeze milk from their udders. The python is prevalent in Greek mythology. A “pythoness” is any woman who is supposed to be able to foretell the future. Basically helpful to man through controlling rodent populations. They are often killed for the meat and leather. Many are taken from the wild for the animal trade. It is considered a threatened species, and permits are required for its legal export, dead or alive. Other species, such as the Indian python, are considered endangered. Are boas or and python family? Some herpetologists (a scientist who studies snakes) divide the pythons and boas into separate families or subfamilies. Which ever classification scheme one adheres to, the boas and pythons are closely related snakes. What is similar is that they are all primitive snakes with similar physical characteristics. What is different is the New World boas are bear live young while the Old World pythons are egg laying.
Conservation Status: Not assessed; IUCN Status 2013
Conservation Efforts: N/A
Glossary: List of definitions of the most important recurrent technical terms used in the text. nocturnal- Active at night.
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Jacobson’s organ- A pair of pit-like organs on the roof of the mouth that are lined with olfactory cells and nerves that interpret chemical stimuli in an animal’s surroundings. oviparity - Reproduction in which the eggs are released by the female; development of the offspring occurs outside the maternal body. Adj., oviparous
Sources: Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens http://www.backwaterreptiles.com Hickman, C.P. Roberts, L.S. 1994. Biology of Animals Halliday, T. Adler, K. 1986. The Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians.
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