Python regius
ball python
(Also: royal python)
By Elisia Lynn Rangel
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Boidae
Genus: Python
Species: Python regius
Geographic Range
Royal pythons are found "in the grasslands of the Sudanese subprovince (West of the
Nile); in Southern Sudan in the Bahrel Ghazal and in the region of the Nuba Mountains
(Southern Kordofan); in West Africa from Senegal to Sierra Africa" (de Vosjoli, 1990).
Habitat
Royal pythons are found in savannah grasslands and open forests throughout their
range.
Physical Description
Length
1 to 2 m
(3.28 to 6.56 ft)
Length ranges from 1 to 2 meters in length (3 to 6 feet). Royal pythons vary
considerably in their color and pattern. Some snakes are tan, brown or reddish. Others
may be pale yellow or orange yellow. The patterns of these snakes also vary greatly.
Some are spotted, some have stripes and others are spotted and striped. There is no
obvious secondary sexual characteristic that allow for instant determination of sex.
Males tend to have larger "spurs" (visible on either side of the vent) than females, but
this difference is in no way clearly visible nor reliable as an indicator of sex.
Reproduction
Breeding season
Breeding occurs during the cold season.
Number of offspring
4 to 10
Gestation period
77 days (average)
Age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female)
1825 days (average)
Age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male)
1825 days (average)
Breeding occurs when temperatures drop to the low 70's or lower and pythons stop
feeding. In Africa, this is usually during December and January. Breeding by royal
pythons occurs only every two or three years. Males have a retractable hemipenis that
everts during mating. Females are fertilized internally. After mating and fertilization,
the female lays between 4 to 10 eggs depending on her size and condition.
Following laying, the female python stays with her eggs and wraps her coils around
them. She protects them by loosening or tightening her coils around them and providing
insulation from air temperatures. Females do not eat during this period, which can last
up to three months until the hatchlings finally emerge from their eggs. If the female is
healthy, this brooding process usually does not effect her negatively, but if she is not
healthy she may become weakened and very susceptible to disease. After the hatchlings
come out of their eggs, they are on their own. They often come back to the eggs for a
day or so after they are hatched to feed from them.
Behavior
Royal pythons are most active at night, when they hunt for their food. When the royal
python catches its prey with its sharp, backward pointing teeth, it quickly throws coils
around the victim until the prey dies of asphyxiation. After the prey is dead, the python
swallows its catch whole. As a defense mechanism, the royal python rolls up into a tight
ball. This is how it received the nickname "ball python."
Communication and Perception
To facilitate nocturnal hunting these pythons have eyes that are adapted to dim light.
Another adaptation that helps the python in their nocturnal hunting is the heat sensitive
organs located in the scales bordering in the python's mouth. These organs enable it to
locate warm blooded prey in complete darkness.
Food Habits
Royal pythons eat rodents almost exclusively. They feed primarily on several species of
native African rodents, including rats, gerbils, and gerboas. Royal pythons generally do
not eat during the times of the year when night temperatures drop to the low 70's or
lower.
Primary Diet:
carnivore
Animal Foods:
mammals.
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
Royal pythons are very useful in keeping rodent population under control. They are a
source of food for the native people in their area of orgin, and they are important in the
pet trade.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List:
Not Evaluated.
US Federal List:
No special status.
CITES:
No special status.
Royal pythons are a highly exploited species. They are important in the pet trade
because of their beautiful colors and how easily they are kept as pets. In their countries
of origin they are eaten and used as a source of leather. Considering that royal pythons
only mate every two to three years and have relatively low clutch sizes, it is easy to see
why there is special concern as to high rate exploitation that these snakes face. De
Vosjoli (1990) states that careful management, including captive incubation of eggs laid
by collected females and restocking programs, will be required if the current level of
exploitation is to continue. More efforts need to be made to propagate this species in
captivity.
Other Comments
Royal pythons are "one of the most widely sold snakes in the pet trade. They are
appealing because of their beauty and their tameness. De Vosjoli (1990) states that,
although they may be cheaper than other snakes in the pet trade, they are also some of
the most problematic. They tend to harbour several parasites and often come in with
various diseases including stomatitis (mouthrot), respiratory disorders, and protozoan
and bacterial infections. Another common problem is their reluctance to feed in
captivity.
Contributors
Elisia Lynn Rangel (author), University of Michigan.
References
de Vosjoli, P. 1990. The Care and Maintenance of BALL PYTHONS. Advanced
Vivarium Systmes, Lakeside CA. pgs. 1-32.
Grolier Incorporated. 1994. Encyclopedia Americana-International edition. USA.
Volume P.
Ditmars, Raymond L. 1931. Snakes of the World. The Macmillian Company. Norwood
Press Linotype, Inc. Norwood, Mass., U.S.A.
To cite this page: Rangel, E. 1999. "Python regius" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web.
Accessed March 10, 2009 at
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Python_regius.html.