Ball Python (Python regius)

Text: Lyndsay C. Bare & Jason J. Heavner


Geographic Range & Habitat:

The ball python is found in the savannah grasslands and open forests in West Central Africa (Togo, Benin, and Ghana). It can also be found in the rainforests between Ghana and Cameroon. During the day, the ball python hides in underground rodent burrows and termite mounds. At night, the ball python wanders about in search of food.

Physical Characteristics:
The ball python reaches a length of 3-6 feet and lives 20-30 years, if in captivity. While the average lifespan is 20 years, there is a ball python on record as being more than 47 years old.
The ball python is a robust snake with a short tail. It exhibits rectilinear movement in order to crawl forward by pressing its body to the ground and using its muscles to propel forward.

The pattern of the ball python is very complex. The most common captive bred ball python has a dark back and a dark upper surface of the head. It has 15-25 large pale rounded blotches that are connected by dark interspaces branching from the dark back. The pattern easily disguises the ball python from predators. No two ball pythons are exactly alike.

Both sexes of ball pythons have large cloacal spurs with the spurs of the adult male appearing smaller and rounder than those of an equivalent size female. Sex can be determined using a smooth, slender, and lubricated probe. The probe is inserted into the cloaca and pressed against the posterior wall. For males, the probe should enter a distance equal to 8-10 scales while it should be inserted a distance of 2-4 scales for a female snake. To determine the sex of a hatchling, the tale can be “popped” to see if a hemipenes everts.


Food Habits:
The ball python eats predominantly rodents. In Africa, they help to control the rodent population by consuming rats, gerbils, and gerboas. The ball python does not eat during certain times of the year when the night temperature is in the lower 70s or below. This is usually during the rainy season during the months of December and January.


Reproduction:
The ball python breeds every 2-3 years during the rainy season in December and January. To simulate this rainy season in captivity, the ball python is misted with water and the temperature is dropped to the low 70s. Sexual maturity is reached between 1-4 years. During copulation, the male penetrates the female using its retractable hemipenes, which everts during mating. Typically, 6-30 days after copulation, the female ovulates. 20 days after ovulation, the female sheds. 24-30 days after she sheds, the female lays 4-10 eggs, which she incubates herself by loosening and tightening her coils around her clutch. It takes 75-80 days for the hatchlings to emerge. In captivity, the eggs are taken from the female and placed in an incubator until they hatch. Once the hatchlings emerge from their eggs, they must fend for themselves. Usually, they return to their eggs for a few days in order to feed.


Behavior:
Since ball pythons are nocturnal and hunt at night, they have special adaptations to facilitate this process. The ball python has eyes that are adapted to dim light as well as heat sensitive organs in the scales surrounding its mouth. The python identifies its prey by size, scent, color, movement, and temperature. With its sharp, backward-pointing teeth, the ball python catches its prey and immediately wraps its coils around the victim until it dies of asphyxiation. Once the prey stops moving, the ball python finds the head and begins the swallowing process. In the wild, the snake will usually eat the inhabitants of a rodent burrow and will then remain in the warm, dark location for 4-5 days during digestion. A unique behavior which earned the name of “ball python” is that it rolls into a tight “ball” when it feels threatened.


Human Interaction:
In Africa, the ball python serves as a food source. Their skins are used as a source of leather. In particular parts of Africa, the snake is worshipped as a sacred object. Throughout the world, the ball python is popular in pet trade. More than 60,000 ball pythons are imported into the United States alone each year. Tens of thousands more are imported into the European countries, Canada, and Japan. Their appeal stems from their attractive patterns, coloration, and their ability to be tamed. They have a manageable size and the common varieties are relatively cheap, making them appealing to the amateur snake owner.


References:

Kingsnake.com. A troubleshooting guide to ball pythons. Internet: <http://www.kingsnake.com/ballpythonguide/prntball.htm>; Accessed September 7, 2002.

Klingenberg R et al. 1995. The Ball Python Manual. Advanced Vivariun Systems Inc.: Sante. pp.1-59.

Rangel E. Python regius (royal or ball python): Narrative. Internet: <http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/python/p._regius$narrative.html>; Accessed September 26, 2002.