Python regius is a nonvenomous python species found
in Africa.
This is the smallest of the African pythons and is popular in the pet trade,
largely due to its typically docile temperament. No subspecies are
currently recognized. It is also known as Royal Python or Ball
Python. The name "ball
python" refers to the animal's tendency to curl into a ball when stressed
or frightened. The name "royal python" (from the Latin regius) is based in part on the story
that Cleopatra supposedly
wore the snake around her wrist.
Description
Adults
generally do not grow to more than 90–120 cm (3.0–3.9 ft) in length, although
some specimens have reached 152–182 cm (5.0–6.0 ft), but this is very
rare. Females tend to be slightly bigger than males, maturing at an
average of 122–137 cm (4.0–4.5 ft). Males usually average around
90–107 cm (3.0–3.5 ft). The build is stocky while the
head is relatively small. The scales are smooth and both sexes have anal spurs on
either side of the vent. Although males tend to have larger spurs, this is
not definitive, and sex is best determined via manual eversion of the male hemipenes or
inserting a probe into the cloaca to
find the inverted hemipenes (if male). When probing to determine sex,
males typically measure eight to ten subcaudal scales, and females typically
measure two to four subcaudal scales.
The
color pattern is typically black or dark brown with light brown or gold sides
and dorsal blotches. The belly is a white or cream that may include scattered
black markings. However, those in the pet industries have, through
selective breeding, developed many morphs (genetic mutations)
with altered colors and patterns.
Geographic range
They
are found in Africa from Senegal, Mali, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Benin, and Nigeria through Cameroon,Chad and the Central African Republic to Sudan and Uganda. No type locality was given in the original
description.
Habitat
Ball
pythons prefer grasslands, savannas and
sparsely wooded areas. Termite mounds and empty mammal burrows are
important habitats for this species. Usually found in West Africa, particularly
in Sierra Leone, Togo, Senegal, Guinea Bissau, Cameroon, Gambia, Liberia, Ivory
Coast, Central African Republic, Ghana, Benin, Niger, Burkina Faso, Democratic
Republic of Congo, Mali, Uganda, and Sudan.
Behavior
This
terrestrial 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. In this state, it can literally be rolled around. Favored retreats
include mammal burrows and other underground hiding places, where they also aestivate.
In captivity, they are considered good pets, for their relatively small size
and placid nature making them easy to handle. Captive bred adults rarely
bite.
Feeding
In
the wild, their diet consists mostly of small mammals, such as African
soft-furred rats, shrews and striped mice. Younger individuals have also been
known to feed on birds. Pythons imported from the wild tend to be picky eaters
and may not respond to food as well as captive-bred pythons, which usually do
well on domestic rats and mice, either live, killed, or frozen-thawed.[5] Live
feeding a snake can be dangerous for the snake involved and should never be
attempted by inexeperienced keepers; it should only ever be a last resort for a
snake which has not eaten for a considerable amount of time, and has lost
weight. The size of the prey item given to a python should be equivalent to or
slightly larger than the width of the largest part of its body. This python is
known for being a picky eater and may not eat for months, particularly during
the winter breeding season. While this is not odd, care should be taken to
watch that the snake does not experience significant weight loss. Parasites can
also cause the snake to not eat. Other causes of not eating are stress caused
by overhandling, or too hot or cold temperatures and not enough areas to hide
in the vivarium.
Reproduction
Females
are oviparous,
with anywhere from 3 to 11 rather large, leathery eggs being laid (4-6 most
common). These are incubated by the female under the ground (via a
shivering motion), and hatch after 55 to 60 days. Sexual maturity is reached at
11–18 months for males, and 20–36 months for females. Age is only one factor in
determining sexual maturity and ability to breed – weight is the second factor.
Males will breed at 600 grams or more, but in captivity are often not bred
until they are 800 grams (1.7 lb), and females will breed in the wild at
weights as low as 800 grams, though 1200 grams or more is most common; in
captivity, breeders generally wait until they are no less than 1500 g
(3.3 lb). Parental care of the eggs ends once they hatch, and the female
leaves the offspring to fend for themselves.
Captivity
These
snakes are bred in captivity and are popular as pets, because of their small
size (compared to other pythons) and their docile temperament. 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 which
must be eliminated by administering antiparasitic drugs.
Specimens have survived for over 40 years in captivity, with the oldest
recorded ball python being more than 48 years old. In captivity, most
adult Python regius snakes
should be kept in a minimum of a 40 US gallons (150 L), long glass tank,
as these pythons are ground dwellers and are highly secretive and largely
sedentary. Some large females may require cages up to the 50 US gallons
(190 L) long tank. Also, at least two hiding places should be provided at
different ends of the tank, one should have a thermostat-controlled heating pad
under it to allow the animal to regulate its temperature. Since most snakes are
adept at escaping captivity, the tank should have a locking lid. Juveniles in
particular may be stressed by overly large cages that do not have sufficient
small hiding spaces. For this reason, baby ball pythons do well in a 10 US
gallons (38 L) or 15 US gallons (57 L) cage at first. Controlled
temperatures of 80 °F (27 °C) with a 90 °F(32 °C) basking
area on one end of the cage are necessary for proper health. Humidity should be
maintained at 50% to 60% with dry substrate.
Beliefs and folklore
This
species is particularly revered in the traditional religion of
the Igbo people of
southeastern Nigeria.
It is considered symbolic of the earth, being an animal that travels so close
to the ground. Even among many Christian Igbos,
these pythons are treated with great care whenever they happen to wander into a
village or onto someone's property; they are allowed to roam freely or are very
gently picked up and placed out in a forest or field away from any homes. If
one is accidentally killed, many communities in Igboland will still build a coffin for the
snake's remains and give it a short funeral.
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