BALL PYTHON
Sub-Saharan Africa is home to the non-venomous Ball python (Python regius). All the African pythons, this one is the smallest. The term ball python describes an animal’s propensity to ball up when startled or alarmed. According to a widespread misconception, the term royal python refers to a snake that was supposedly worn as jewelry by African kings, particularly Cleopatra.
BALL PYTHON
| KINGDOM | Animalia |
| PHYLUM | Chordata |
| SUBPHYLUM | Vertebrata |
| CLASS | Reptilia |
| ORDER | Squamata |
| SUBORDER | Serpentes |
| FAMILY | Pythonidae |
| GENUS | Python |
| SPECIES | Python regius |
Appearance
Ball pythons have a little head and are stocky animals. Both sexes have anal spurs on either side of the vent, and their scales are smooth. Typically the dorsal blotches and sides are light brown or gold with a black or dark brown dorsal pattern. White or cream colored with sporadic black lines on the belly. However, individuals working in the pet industry have created numerous morphs with different colors and patterns.
Ball Python Photos
Distribution
West Sub-Saharan Africa is home to ball pythons, which may be found in Senegal, Mali, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Liberia, the Ivory Coast, Ghana, Benin, and Nigeria. They can also be found in Cameroon, Chad, the Central African Republic, Sudan, and Uganda. They can be found in agricultural land, but they prefer grasslands, savannas, and areas with few trees.
Habits and Lifestyle
Ball pythons are solitary, nocturnal animals. Males typically exhibit more semi-arboreal behaviors, whilst females typically exhibit terrestrial habits. They hide in mammal burrows and other underground hiding places during the dry months when it gets hot so they can aestivate. Ball pythons are well recognized for their defense technique, which entails coiling into a little ball with their head and neck tucked up in the middle when threatened. They can actually be rolled around in this state. Ball pythons are thought to make suitable pets in captivity due to their manageable size and placid temperament.
Diet and Nutrition
Carnivores are ball pythons. Their primary sources of food in the wild are tiny mammals including striped mice, birds, shrews, gerbils, African soft-furred rats, and shrews. They will consume chicks and common rats and mice when kept in captivity.
Mating Habits
| REPRODUCTION SEASON | mid-September to mid-November |
| PREGNANCY DURATION | 44 to 54 day |
| INCUBATION PERIOD | 55-60 days |
| BABY CARRYING | 1 to 11 |
| INDEPENDENT AGE | at birth |
| FEMALE NAME | female |
| MALE NAME | male |
| BABY NAME | snakelet |
| WEB.ANIMAL_CLUTCH_SIZE | 3-11 eggs |
Because they are Polygynandrous (promiscuous), ball pythons can mate with more than one partner. Typically, they reproduce from mid-September until mid-November. Females typically lay 4 to 6 of these big, leathery eggs, ranging from 3 to 11. The female lays her eggs underground, where she shivers them to incubate them. After 55 to 60 days, the eggs hatch. Once the eggs hatch, parental care stops, and the mother abandons the young to fend for themselves. Males achieve reproductive maturity at 11–18 months, while females do so at 20–36 months. Only one factor—age—determines reproductive maturity and the capacity to procreate; the other is body weight. However, in captivity, males are frequently not reproduced until they are 600 g or more. 800 g (1.7 lb), while some males have been observed to start mating in captivity at 300–400 g. In the wild, females can reproduce at weights as low as 800 g, though 1200 g or more is more typical. In captivity, breeders often wait until females weigh at least 1500 g (3.3 lb).
Population
Population threats
The pet trade is the largest danger to ball pythons. Thousands of these snakes are caught and shipped to other nations. The species might become extinct locally as a result of this. Furthermore, people hunt ball pythons for their meat and skin.
Population number
The entire population size of the Ball python is not given by the IUCN Red List or any other sources. This species is presently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Ecological niche
The populations of the small mammals that ball pythons prey on are helped to regulate.
Domestication
Because of their small size and often gentle demeanor, pythons are among the most popular reptiles to be bred in captivity. These snakes are frequently bred in captivity to develop certain patterns or variants. Pastel, albino, Mojave, and smaller are a few of the more prevalent varieties. More than 6,500 different designer morphs have been produced by breeders as of this writing.
