Ball Python - wikipedia Ball Python Ball python Conservation status Least Concern ( IUCN 3.1 ) Scientific classification Kingdom : Animalia Phylum : Chordata Class : Reptilia Order : Squamata Suborder : Serpentes Family : Pythonidae Genus : Python Species : P. regius Binomial name Python regius ( Shaw, 1802 ) Distribution map of ball python Synonyms Boa regia Shaw, 1802 Enygrus regi'us - Wagler, 1830 Cenchris regia - Gray, 1831 Python Bellii Gray, 1842 Python regius - A.M.C. Duméril & Bibron, 1844 Hortulia regia - Gray, 1849 Python regius - Boulenger, 1893 The ball python ( Python regius ), also known as the royal python, is a python species found in sub-Saharan Africa. Like all other pythons, it is a nonvenomous constrictor. This is the smallest of the African pythons and is popular in the pet trade, largely due to its small size and typically docile temperament. No subspecies are currently recognized. 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 ) comes from the fact that rulers in Africa would wear the python as jewelry. Contents 1 Description 2 Distribution and habitat 3 Behavior 4 Diet 5 Reproduction 6 Captivity 7 Beliefs and folklore 8 See also 9 References 10 External links Description Close - up of head Maximum adult length of this species is 182 cm ( 6.0 ft ). Females tend to be slightly bigger than males, maturing around 122 -- 137 cm ( 4.0 -- 4.5 ft ). Males typically grow to around 90 -- 107 cm ( 3.0 -- 3.5 ft ). Their 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 by manual eversion of the male hemipenes or inserting a probe into the cloaca to check the presence of an inverted hemipenis ( if male ). When probing to determine sex, males typically measure eight to 10 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. Distribution and habitat They are found in west 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. The ball python bears a strong physical resemblance to the Burmese python, whose adaptive abilities have caused it to become classified as an invasive species in places such as the Florida Everglades. The ball python, however, has not been known to reproduce in the wild outside of its native range and no reproducing wild populations are known in Florida. Ball pythons prefer grasslands, savannas, and sparsely wooded areas. but have been shown to adapt to all types of environments. Males tend to display more semi-arboreal behaviours, whilst females tend towards terrestrial behaviours. 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, with their relatively small size and placid nature making them easy to handle. Diet In the wild, their diet consists mostly of small mammals, such as African soft - furred rats, shrews, and striped mice and birds. Younger pythons, under 70 cm total length, and males prey almost exclusively on small birds ( nestlings and immature young ) whilst pythons greater than 70 cm total length, and females prey almost exclusively on small mammals. Reproduction Females are oviparous, with 3 to 11 rather large, leathery eggs being laid ( four to six are 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 breed at 600 g or more, but in captivity are often not bred until they are 800 g ( 1.7 lb ), although in captivity, some males have been known to begin breeding at 300 -- 400 g. Females breed in the wild at weights as low as 800 g though 1200 g or more in weight 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 An albino ball python A ball python in the Bronx Zoo 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. Specimens have survived for over 40 years in captivity, with the oldest recorded ball python being kept in captivity 47 years and 6 months until its death in 1992 at the Philadelphia Zoo. Hundreds of different color patterns are available in captive snakes. Some of the most common are Spider, Pastel, Albino, Mojave, and Lesser. Breeders are continuously creating new designer morphs, and over 5,300 different morphs currently exist. 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 still build a coffin for the snake 's remains and give it a short funeral. See also List of pythonid species and subspecies Pythonidae by common name Pythonidae by taxonomic synonyms References ^ Jump up to : McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré T. 1999. Snake Species of the World : A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, vol. 1. Herpetologists ' League. 511 pp. ISBN 1 - 893777 - 00 - 6 ( series ). ISBN 1 - 893777 - 01 - 4 ( volume ). ^ Jump up to : Mehrtens JM. 1987. Living Snakes of the World in Color. New York : Sterling Publishers. 480 pp. ISBN 0 - 8069 - 6460 - X. Jump up ^ `` Python regius ''. Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 12 September 2007. Jump up ^ Ball Python ( Python regius ) Caresheet Archived 23 May 2007 at the Wayback Machine. at ball-pythons.net. Accessed 12 September 2007. ^ Jump up to : Barker DG, Barker TM. 2006. Ball Pythons : The History, Natural History, Care and Breeding ( Pythons of the World, Volume 2 ). VPI Library. 320 pp. ISBN 0 - 9785411 - 0 - 3. Jump up ^ `` Ball Python ( Python regius ) Basic Husbandry and Feeding : Housing, Diet, Handling, and Care ''. www.peteducation.com. Retrieved 2017 - 09 - 21. Jump up ^ Ball python at Pet Education. Accessed 12 September 2007. ^ Jump up to : McCurley, Kevin. 2005. The Complete Ball Python : A Comprehensive Guide to Care, Breeding and Genetic Mutations. ECO & Serpent 's Tale Nat Hist Books. 300 pp. ISBN 978 - 097 - 131 - 9. Jump up ^ ( P. regius ) Base Mutations at Graziani Reptiles. Accessed 12 September 2007. Jump up ^ `` Ball python ''. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Retrieved 8 March 2017. Jump up ^ Luca Luiselli & Francesco Maria Angelici ( 1998 ) Sexual size dimorphism and natural history traits are correlated with intersexual dietary divergence in royal pythons ( python regius ) from the rainforests of southeastern Nigeria, Italian Journal of Zoology, 65 : 2, 183 - 185, DOI : 10.1080 / 11250009809386744 Jump up ^ Luca Luiselli & Francesco Maria Angelici ( 1998 ) Sexual size dimorphism and natural history traits are correlated with intersexual dietary divergence in royal pythons ( python regius ) from the rainforests of southeastern Nigeria, Italian Journal of Zoology, 65 : 2, 183 - 185, DOI : 10.1080 / 11250009809386744 Jump up ^ Kate, Frank ; Slavens, Kate ( 2003 ). `` Python longevity records ''. Reptiles and Amphibians in Captivity -- Longevity ( at PondTurtle.com ). Retrieved 2016 - 08 - 10. Jump up ^ `` Morph List - World of Ball Pythons ''. World of Ball Pythons. Retrieved 2017 - 09 - 21. Jump up ^ Hambly, Wilfrid Dyson ; Laufer, Berthold ( 1931 ). `` Serpent worship ''. Fieldiana Anthropology. 21 ( 1 ). External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Python regius. Wikispecies has information related to Python regius Python regius at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 12 September 2007. Ball Python Articles and Care Sheets at RC Reptiles.com. Accessed 12 September 2007. Ball Python Care and Husbandry at Ball Python Care. Ball Python Care Sheet at Herphangout. Accessed 12 September 2007. Troubleshooting Guide for Ball Pythons at kingsnake.com. Accessed 12 September 2007. Ball Pythons as Pets at About.com : Exotic Pets. Accessed 12 September 2007. Ball Python, Python regius Care at ReptileExpert.org. Accessed 4 April 2011. Royal Python, Python regius Care at The Royal Python. Accessed 17 December 2012. Family Pythonidae Antaresia Antaresia childreni Antaresia maculosa Antaresia perthensis Antaresia stimsoni Apodora Apodora papuana Aspidites Aspidites melanocephalus Aspidites ramsayi Bothrochilus Bothrochilus boa Leiopython Leiopython albertisii Liasis Liasis fuscus Liasis mackloti Liasis olivaceus Liasis savuensis Morelia Morelia amethistina Morelia boeleni Morelia bredli Morelia carinata Morelia oenpelliensis Morelia spilota Morelia viridis Python Python anchietae Python bivittatus Python breitensteini Python brongersmai Python curtus Python kyaiktiyo Python molurus Python regius Python reticulatus Python sebae Python timoriensis Snakes portal Reptiles portal Animals portal Biology portal Africa portal Taxon identifiers Wd : Q464424 EoL : 1055460 GBIF : 2465380 iNaturalist : 32158 ITIS : 634784 IUCN : 177562 NCBI : 51751 Species+ : 5467 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ball_python&oldid=826671112 '' Categories : IUCN Red List least concern species Python Snakes of Africa Fauna of Sub-Saharan Africa Reptiles described in 1802 Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links Use dmy dates from June 2013 Articles with ' species ' microformats All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from May 2017 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikispecies Azərbaycanca تۆرکجه Беларуская Български Brezhoneg Cebuano Čeština Dansk Deutsch Eesti Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Français Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית Lietuvių Magyar മലയാളം Bahasa Melayu Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk پنجابی Polski Português Română Русский Slovenčina Suomi Svenska ไทย Türkçe Українська Tiếng Việt Winaray 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 20 February 2018, at 11 : 53. 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Question: how old is a full grown ball python
Answer: at 11–18 months for males, and 20–36 months for females