Ball python
Ball python | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Suborder: | Serpentes |
Family: | Pythonidae |
Genus: | Python |
Species: | P. regius
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Binomial name | |
Python regius (Shaw, 1802)
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Distribution map of ball python | |
Synonyms | |
The ball python (Python regius), also called the royal python, is a
Taxonomy
Boa regia was the
Description
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Python_regius_070731_Portrait.jpg/220px-Python_regius_070731_Portrait.jpg)
The ball python is black, or albino and dark brown with light brown blotches on the back and sides. Its white or cream belly is scattered with black markings. It is a stocky snake with a relatively small head and smooth scales.[3] It reaches a maximum adult length of 182 cm (6 ft 0 in). Males typically measure eight to ten subcaudal scales, and females typically measure two to four subcaudal scales.[7] Females reach an average snout-to-vent length of 116.2 cm (45+3⁄4 in), a 44.3 mm (1+3⁄4 in) long jaw, an 8.7 cm (3+7⁄16 in) long tail and a maximum weight of 1.635 kg (3 lb 9.7 oz). Males are smaller with an average snout-to-vent length of 111.3 cm (43+13⁄16 in), a 43.6 mm (1+23⁄32 in) long jaw, an 8.6 cm (3+3⁄8 in) long tail and a maximum weight of 1.561 kg (3 lb 7.1 oz).[8] Both sexes have
Distribution and habitat
The ball python is native to west
It prefers grasslands,Behavior and ecology
Ball pythons are typically nocturnal or crepuscular, meaning that they are active during dusk, dawn, and/or nighttime.[11] This species is known for its defense strategy that involves coiling into a tight ball when threatened, with its head and neck tucked away in the middle. This defense behavior is typically employed in lieu of biting, which makes this species easy for humans to handle and has contributed to their popularity as a pet.[3]
In the wild, ball pythons favor mammal burrows and other underground hiding places, where they also aestivate. Males tend to display more semi-arboreal behaviors, whilst females tend towards terrestrial behaviors.[11]
Diet
The diet of the ball python in the wild consists mostly of small mammals and birds. Young ball pythons of less than 70 cm (28 in) prey foremost on small birds. Ball pythons longer than 100 cm (39 in) prey foremost on small mammals. Males prey more frequently on birds, and females more frequently on mammals.
Reproduction
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ab/Ball_Python_Eggs_Incubating.jpg/220px-Ball_Python_Eggs_Incubating.jpg)
Females are
Threats
The ball python is listed as
In captivity
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9c/Albino_ball_python.png/220px-Albino_ball_python.png)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/24/Ball_python_%28Python_regius%29%2C_Bronx_Zoo.jpg/220px-Ball_python_%28Python_regius%29%2C_Bronx_Zoo.jpg)
Ball pythons are the most popular pet snake and the second most popular pet reptile after the bearded dragon.[14] According to the IUCN Red List, while captive bred animals are widely available in the pet trade, capture of wild specimens for sale continues to cause significant damage to wild populations.[1] Wild-caught specimens have greater difficulty adapting to a captive environment, which can result in refusal to feed, and they generally carry internal or external parasites.[citation needed] This species can do quite well in captivity, regularly living for 15–30 years with good care. The oldest recorded ball python in captivity is 62 years, 59 of those at the Saint Louis Zoo.[15]
Breeding
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b2/Killer_bee_ball_python_snake.png/220px-Killer_bee_ball_python_snake.png)
Captive ball pythons are often bred for specific patterns that do not occur in the wild, called "morphs."[16][17] Breeders are continuously creating new designer morphs, and over 7,500 different morphs currently exist.[17][18][19] Most morphs are considered solely cosmetic with no harm or benefit to the individual animal. However, the "spider" morph gene has been linked to neurological disease, typically involving symptoms such as head tremors and lack of coordination that are collectively referred to as "wobble syndrome."[20] Due to the ethical concerns associated with intentionally breeding a color pattern linked to genetic disease, the International Herpetological Society banned the sale of spider morphs at their events beginning in 2018.[21]
In culture
The ball python is particularly revered by the Igbo people in southeastern Nigeria, who consider it symbolic of the earth, being an animal that travels so close to the ground. Even Christian Igbos treat ball pythons with great care whenever they come across one in a village or on someone's property; they either let them roam or pick them up gently and return them to a forest or field away from houses. If one is accidentally killed, many communities on Igbo land still build a coffin for the snake's remains and give it a short funeral.[22][23][24] In northwestern Ghana, there is a taboo towards pythons as people consider them a savior and cannot hurt or eat them. According to folklore a python once helped them flee from their enemies by transforming into a log to allow them to cross a river.[25]
References
- ^ . Retrieved 11 November 2023.
- ^ ISBN 1-893777-00-6.
- ^ ISBN 080696460X.
- ^ Shaw, G. (1802). "Royal Boa". General zoology, or Systematic natural history. Volume III, Part II. London: G. Kearsley. pp. 347–348.
- ^ Daudin, F. M. (1803). "Python". Histoire naturelle, générale et particulière, des reptiles. Vol. Tome 8. Paris: De l'Imprimerie de F. Dufart. p. 384.
- ^ Gray, J. E. (1849). "The Royal Rock Snake". Catalogue of the specimens of snakes in the collection of the British museum. London: The Trustees. pp. 90–91.
- ^ ISBN 0-9785411-0-3.
- S2CID 86230972.
- S2CID 162806864.
- ^ ISBN 978-097-131-9.
- ^ .
- ^ "Python regius (Ball Python, Royal Python)". Animal Diversity Web.
- .
- PMID 33802560.
- TheGuardian.com. 2020. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
- ^ Bulinski, S. C. (2016). "A Crash Course in Ball Python/Reptile Genetics". Reptiles magazine.
- ^ a b Giggs, Rebecca (21 February 2024). "Skin in the Game". The New Yorker. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ "Morph List – World of Ball Pythons". World of Ball Pythons. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
- ^ Yurdakul E. (2020). "Ball Python Morphs". Reptilian world.
- doi:10.1053/j.jepm.2014.06.002.)
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ^ "Breeders Meetings – New Policy – June 2017". International Herpetological Society. 2017. Archived from the original on 8 May 2020.
- obsolete source]
- ^ Udengwu, Ngozi; Erojikwe, Ikechukwu; Nnanna, Ndubuisi (2019). "Cultural transformation and the trials of the sacred python in text and context". Creative Artist: A Journal of Theatre and Media Studies. 13 (2): 22–49.
- JSTOR 3814277.
- Gale A441766901.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/df/Wikispecies-logo.svg/34px-Wikispecies-logo.svg.png)
- "Python regius". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 12 September 2007.
- Python regius at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 12 September 2007.
- Krishnasamy, Vikram; Stevenson, Lauren; Koski, Lia; Kellis, Marilee; Schroeder, Betsy; Sundararajan, Madhura; Ladd-Wilson, Stephen; Sampsel, Ashley; Mannell, Mike; Classon, Andrew; Wagner, Darlene; Hise, Kelley; Carleton, Heather; Trees, Eija; Schlater, Linda; Lantz, Kristina; Nichols, Megin (19 May 2018). "Notes from the Field: Investigation of an Outbreak of Salmonella Paratyphi B Variant L(+) tartrate + (Java) Associated with Ball Python Exposure — United States, 2017". MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 67 (19): 562–563. PMID 29771878.