Ball Python
Python regius • Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Pythonidae, Genus: Python, Species: Python regius
Sub-Saharan Africa, ranging from Senegal and Mali eastward through Sudan and Uganda.
Look up Ball Python in the Snake Encyclopedia →Family
Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Pythonidae, Genus: Python, Species: Python regius
Conservation
Listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN, facing pressures from habitat loss and collection for the international pet trade.
Physical Description
Robust body with a distinct, broad head and smooth scales. Exhibits a complex pattern of dark brown or black blotches and alien-like markings against a lighter tan or brown background.
Size & Dimensions
Specimen appears to be a juvenile around 45-60 cm; adults typically reach 120-150 cm in length.
Habitat
Inhabits grasslands, savannas, and sparsely forested areas, often utilizing abandoned mammal burrows and termite mounds for shelter.
Diet & Feeding
Primarily feeds on small mammals and birds, utilizing an ambush hunting strategy and constriction to subdue prey.
Reproduction
Oviparous species, laying clutches of 3 to 11 eggs which the female incubates and protects by coiling around them.
Look-alikes
Can be confused with other African pythons such as Angolan pythons, but distinguished by specific facial scale arrangements and distinctive dorsal patterning.
Conservation Status
Listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN, facing pressures from habitat loss and collection for the international pet trade.
Cultural Significance
Held in high religious and cultural regard in parts of West Africa, notably among the Igbo people, where they are protected and viewed as sacred.
Notable Features
Famous for its defensive behavior of tightly rolling into a compact ball when stressed or threatened, exposing heat-sensing labial pits on the upper and lower jaws.