Geographic Range
Ball pythons (
Python regius
), also known as royal pythons, are found in the grasslands and open forests of West
and Central Africa. They are native to the Sudanese subprovince west of the Nile,
in southern Sudan, the Bahrel Ghazal and Nuba Mountains Region, from Senegal to Sierra
Leone in West Africa, and in the Ivory Coast and some parts of Central Africa.
Habitat
Ball pythons spend most of their time on or under the ground in burrows. They are
most active at dawn and dusk. They inhabit savanna grasslands or open forests and
are found in areas that have been cleared for farming.
- Habitat Regions
- tropical
- terrestrial
- Terrestrial Biomes
- savanna or grassland
Physical Description
At birth, ball pythons range from 25 to 43 centimeters in length and grow to 1 to
1.5 meters as adults. There are some reports of ball pythons found in the wild at
1.83 meters in length. Their heads are larger than their relatively slender necks
and they are considered heavy-bodied. The typical ball python has large brown markings
with lighter medium-brown spots interspersed between the darker spots. They may also
have yellow stripes from the nostrils through the eyes. The belly is generally ivory
white. Adult female ball pythons are larger than adult males. This sexual dimorphism
is not present in neonates, but is apparent in adults. Adult females also have longer
jaws than their male counterparts. The resultant increase in swallowing capacity may
improve their hunting ability.
- Other Physical Features
- heterothermic
- polymorphic
- Sexual Dimorphism
- female larger
Development
Ball python hatchlings range from 25 to 43 centimeters; adults from 0.9 to 1.5 meters.
The gestation period is about 44 to 54 days. Most ball pythons lay their eggs during
the second half of the dry season, from mid-February to the beginning of April. Eggs
are then hatched from mid-April to mid June. Approximately 3 weeks after ovulation,
a female ball python begins to shed its skin. Eggs are laid about 4 weeks later.
Reproduction
After laying their clutch of eggs, female ball pythons coil around their clutches
until hatched (after approximately 2 months). Hatchlings are immediately independent,
but remain in the vicinity for months after.
- Mating System
- polygynandrous (promiscuous)
Ball pythons have long reproductive lives that last from about 27 months to 30 years. The breeding season is primarily from mid-September through mid-November, correlating with the minor rainy season. A clutch is from 1 to 11 eggs. The eggs typically adhere to each other. A few days before hatching they lose their adhesion. After the eggs are no longer attached and are ready to hatch, baby ball pythons slit the shells with their egg tooth and work their way out. Weight at birth is 65 to 103 grams, with an average of 86 grams. Female ball pythons reach reproductive maturity from 27 to 31 months. Males reach reproductive maturity at 16 to 18 months. Both male and female ball pythons have large cloacal spurs.
Humans can determine python sex by placing a probe through the cloacal spur and into
the inverted hemipenis. The probe will travel deeper into the base of the tail for
male ball pythons, spanning 8 to 10 subcaudal scales in contrast to females in which
the probe may be only inserted a distance of 2 to 4 subcaudal scales.
- Key Reproductive Features
- iteroparous
- seasonal breeding
- sexual
- oviparous
Once female ball pythons lay their eggs, they consistently ball around the eggs for
protection. Ball pythons also stay in close proximity to eggs to protect them from
predators.
- Parental Investment
- female parental care
-
pre-fertilization
- provisioning
-
protecting
- female
-
pre-hatching/birth
-
protecting
- female
-
protecting
Lifespan/Longevity
The average lifespan of ball pythons in captivity is 20 years. Reports document the
maximum lifespan in captivity ranges from 28 years (at the Oakland Zoo) up to 50 years
(reported by the Philadelphia Zoo). Average life span in the wild is reported to be
10 years.
Behavior
Ball pythons move by way of rectilinear locomotion, whereby bilateral symmetrical
contractions propel them forward as they push against the surface.
Ball pythons are known for the protective mechanism of “balling,” where they form
a tight ball with the head at the center in response to threats, earning them their
common name, "ball python."
Communication and Perception
Vision plays an important role in a ball python’s ability to secure prey. Research
on the way these snakes behaved under bright light determined that ultraviolet activity
may be a factor in capturing prey. Other research suggests that ball pythons may follow
the scent trails of their mammalian prey because those trails reflect ultraviolet
light.
- Perception Channels
- visual
- infrared/heat
- tactile
- vibrations
- chemical
Food Habits
Ball pythons are carnivorous and have mobile lower and upper jaws. They use chemical
and visual cues to hunt for their prey. Ball pythons sit and wait to ambush prey.
As heavy-bodied snakes, they are less active and instead choose good ambush sites.
The feeding strategy is to retract the head and neck and strike rapidly. After the
rapid strike, they swallow prey alive or immobilize by constriction. They feed almost
exclusively on rodents and eat infrequently. Infrequent feeders have adapted by having
the capacity to widely regulate gastrointestinal functioning with feeding and fasting.
Ball pythons prey on rodents and are vital to controlling these pests, especially
in rural communities. Rodent prey includes African giant rats (
Cricetomys gambianus
), black rats (
Rattus rattus
), rufous-nosed rats (
Oenomys
species), shaggy rats (
Dasymys
species), and grass mice (
Lemniscomys
species).
- Primary Diet
-
carnivore
- eats terrestrial vertebrates
- Animal Foods
- mammals
Predation
Ball pythons attempt to avoid detection by predators and to seek cover. Defenses include
camouflage, escape attempts, bluffing displays, and biting. Ball pythons are best
known for “balling,” in which they form a tight ball with the head at the center.
There are few known predators of adults, although the trappers of Ghana have reported
that black cobras (
Naja nigricollis
) prey on small and medium pythons. Some known predators, especially of young pythons,
include humans (
Homo sapiens
), carnivorous mammals, and birds of prey.
- Anti-predator Adaptations
- cryptic
Ecosystem Roles
Ball pythons are found in western to central Africa, just north of the equator. They are found in grasslands and open forests, and in areas with some cover. They are typically found near open water so they can cool themselves during hot weather. They spend most of their time on or in burrows under the ground, although they are able to climb. They are primarily nocturnal and active during the wet season. Bush fires can also affect ball pythons. In addition, farmers may kill ball pythons out of fear.
Ticks are primary parasites, with a slightly higher tick burden in males than females.
This may be due to the prolonged periods of immobility in females during the two months
of brooding their clutch. Male movement to capitalize on encounters with females
may increase their risk of exposure to ticks.
There are also internal parasites found in ball pythons including,
Trypanosoma varani
,
Helpatozoon
(Apicomplexa: Adelorina), and
Spinicauda regiensis
.
- Trypanosoma varani
- ticks ( Acari )
- Helpatozoon (Apicomplexa: Adelorina)
- Spinicauda regiensis
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
The economic importance of ball pythons to rural communities of central and western
Afria is the control of rodents. The magnitude of this benefit is in the millions
of dollars per year. Even though ball pythons are exported, there is little direct
economic benefit to rural communities except the economic impact of providing lodging
and food for trappers.
There are some areas where ball pythons are considered sacred and are fully protected.
In these areas there seems to be an awareness of the benefits of these pythons.
Although ball pythons can be bred in captivity, most are imported from Africa. Approximately
30,000 to 50,000 ball pythons are exported annually to America, mostly as hatchlings
from wild pythons. Ball pythons are easily handled snakes, which is what makes them
good pets. Trappers of ball pythons tend to be economically vulnerable, which drives
them towards trapping these snakes for export. Ball pythons are also occasionally
eaten.
- Positive Impacts
- pet trade
- controls pest population
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
There are few negative effects of ball pythons on humans, as these snakes do not tend
to be aggressive.
- Negative Impacts
- household pest
Conservation Status
Because of their large range and high, stable population numbers, ball pythons are
not considered threatened currently. A change to highly mechanized farming and substantial
use of agrochemicals may change survival rates of ball pythons, affecting populations.
Additional Links
Contributors
Alex Graf (author), Radford University, Karen Powers (editor), Radford University, Tanya Dewey (editor), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.
- Ethiopian
-
living in sub-Saharan Africa (south of 30 degrees north) and Madagascar.
- native range
-
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
- tropical
-
the region of the earth that surrounds the equator, from 23.5 degrees north to 23.5 degrees south.
- terrestrial
-
Living on the ground.
- tropical savanna and grassland
-
A terrestrial biome. Savannas are grasslands with scattered individual trees that do not form a closed canopy. Extensive savannas are found in parts of subtropical and tropical Africa and South America, and in Australia.
- savanna
-
A grassland with scattered trees or scattered clumps of trees, a type of community intermediate between grassland and forest. See also Tropical savanna and grassland biome.
- temperate grassland
-
A terrestrial biome found in temperate latitudes (>23.5° N or S latitude). Vegetation is made up mostly of grasses, the height and species diversity of which depend largely on the amount of moisture available. Fire and grazing are important in the long-term maintenance of grasslands.
- heterothermic
-
having a body temperature that fluctuates with that of the immediate environment; having no mechanism or a poorly developed mechanism for regulating internal body temperature.
- polymorphic
-
"many forms." A species is polymorphic if its individuals can be divided into two or more easily recognized groups, based on structure, color, or other similar characteristics. The term only applies when the distinct groups can be found in the same area; graded or clinal variation throughout the range of a species (e.g. a north-to-south decrease in size) is not polymorphism. Polymorphic characteristics may be inherited because the differences have a genetic basis, or they may be the result of environmental influences. We do not consider sexual differences (i.e. sexual dimorphism), seasonal changes (e.g. change in fur color), or age-related changes to be polymorphic. Polymorphism in a local population can be an adaptation to prevent density-dependent predation, where predators preferentially prey on the most common morph.
- polygynandrous
-
the kind of polygamy in which a female pairs with several males, each of which also pairs with several different females.
- iteroparous
-
offspring are produced in more than one group (litters, clutches, etc.) and across multiple seasons (or other periods hospitable to reproduction). Iteroparous animals must, by definition, survive over multiple seasons (or periodic condition changes).
- seasonal breeding
-
breeding is confined to a particular season
- sexual
-
reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a female
- oviparous
-
reproduction in which eggs are released by the female; development of offspring occurs outside the mother's body.
- female parental care
-
parental care is carried out by females
- nocturnal
-
active during the night
- sedentary
-
remains in the same area
- solitary
-
lives alone
- visual
-
uses sight to communicate
- tactile
-
uses touch to communicate
- chemical
-
uses smells or other chemicals to communicate
- visual
-
uses sight to communicate
- infrared/heat
-
(as keyword in perception channel section) This animal has a special ability to detect heat from other organisms in its environment.
- tactile
-
uses touch to communicate
- vibrations
-
movements of a hard surface that are produced by animals as signals to others
- chemical
-
uses smells or other chemicals to communicate
- cryptic
-
having markings, coloration, shapes, or other features that cause an animal to be camouflaged in its natural environment; being difficult to see or otherwise detect.
- pet trade
-
the business of buying and selling animals for people to keep in their homes as pets.
- carnivore
-
an animal that mainly eats meat
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