Fact sheet Flashcards
What is another name for the Ball Python?
Royal Python
What is it’s range?
West and Central Africa
What is it’s habitat?
Grasslands and open forests
What is its conservation status?
Vulnerable
What is it’s size?
4-6
Fun fact about its size
Females are larger than males
What is its lifespan in the wild?
10 years
What is its lifespan in the Zoo?
20 years
What is their lifespan record?
48 years
When are they active?
They are active during the evening
What do they eat in the wild?
Rodents
What do they eat in the zoo?
Mice and chicks
How do they reproduce?
By laying eggs
When do they breed?
September through November
When is their gestation period?
44-54 days
When is their incubation period?
50-60 days
How many young do they leave?
1-11
When are they fully developed?
2 years
Why are they also called royal pythons
Some people think that it’s because of their pattern which resembles a crown, other people think that royal Egyptians wore live pythons as jewelry.
What does the ball Python have that other snakes don’t?
They are the only snakes with two functional lungs and they also have vestigial pelvic bones and leg bones.
What is there threat reaction?
The snake will roll into a tight ball with the head tucked in the middle.
What are some people’s reason for this?
Some think this fools some predators such as eagles into thinking the snake is a ball of elephant dung.
What happens during the incubation period?
After the female laid her eyes she wraps her body around them and uses muscular contractions to raise her body temperature to incubate them. This also protects the eggs from predators. She will not eat or drink during this period.
How can these snakes locate their prey?
Ball pythons can see in the ultraviolet directing which helps them locate their prey since rodents leave trails of urine which is visible in ultraviolet light.
