Ball Pythons/Royal Pythons
*Note Since originally posting this post I have since added information that I didn’t have. I hope that by me adding information, it will help further your knowledge on this fantastic species of the snake family.*
Ball Pythons are one of the coolest snakes that I get to work with on a weekly bases at a wildlife center here in Georgia. The one we have at the center that I work at is a male and is super chill. I’ve never worked with one that didn’t have a great disposition, but like all animals you always have to remember that snakes are animals after all, no matter how nice they are.
Unfortunately ball pythons are considered to be on the endangered/threatened list of species. This is due to the fact that they are hunted for their skin and meat.
Ball Pythons are native to West and Central Africa. They typically live in grasslands and shrublands. Favored retreats include mammal burrows and other underground hiding places, where they also aestivate. And during the day it sleeps in those small burrow areas. If you are wondering what a avestivate means it is (Aestivate) is a state of animal dormancy, similar to hibernation, although taking place in the summer rather than the winter. Basically this is characterized by inactivity and a lowered metabolic rate, and is a response to high temperatures and arid conditions. Aestivate takes place during times of heat and dryness, the hot dry season, which are often the summer months. Which is something that I didn’t Know until I did my research about them.
Ball pythons also go by a second name, which is: Royal Python. If you’re a person who prefers more of the scientific name for things and beings than anything else, then their scientific name is: Python regius. The Ball Python is both the smallest and non poisons of the pythons in Africa. And their diets consist of small rodents and birds.
Ball Pythons can get anywhere from three to five feet in length (182 cm. Or 72 in). It gets its name from curling itself into a ball when it is stressed or frightened. The ball python is black or dark brown with light brown blotches on the back and sides. Its white or cream belly is scattered with black markings. The python is a stocky snake with a relatively small head and smooth scales.
While there may be no recorded or accurate recording for average age of a ball python in the wild, the longest living recorded in captivity was in a zoo that a ball python lived to be 47. Meanwhile it’s siblings lived to be in their 30’s to 40’s.
Ball Pythons are known to be very clever when it comes to escaping from their enclosures. But I don’t know many snakes that aren’t clever enough to get out of their enclosures. So, with that said, insure that you securely lock the enclosure. They are most active at night and like a comfortable dark places to hide during the day.
Females can lay any where from six to seven eggs. When they do so, they coil around their eggs during incubation, which lasts for at least around three months.
If your ever near a nature center and they have snakes, check and see if they have a ball python. Ask questions and get more familiar with this breed.
