Editing Ball python

{{Short description|Species of constricting snake}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2021}}
{{Speciesbox
|status = NT
|status_system = IUCN3.1
|status_ref = <ref name=iucn>{{cite iucn |author=D'Cruze, N. |author2=Wilms, T. |author3=Penner, J. |author4=Luiselli, L. |author5=Jallow, M. |author6=Segniagbeto, G. |author7=Niagate, B. |author8=Schmitz, A. |year=2022 |title=''Python regius'' |amends=2021 |page=e.T177562A220378972 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-2.RLTS.T177562A220378972.en |access-date=11 November 2023}}</ref>
|status2 = CITES_A2
|status2_system = CITES
|image = Ball python lucy.JPG
|genus = Python
|species = regius
|authority = ([[George Shaw (biologist)|Shaw]], 1802)
|synonyms = * ''Boa regia'' [[George Shaw (biologist)|Shaw]], 1802
* ''Cenchris regia'' [[John Edward Gray|Gray]], 1831
* ''Python bellii'' [[John Edward Gray|Gray]], 1842
* ''Hortulia regia'' [[John Edward Gray|Gray]], 1849<ref name=McD99/>
|range_map = Python regius distribution.svg
|range_map_caption = Distribution map of ball python
}}

The '''ball python''' ('''''Python regius'''''), also called the '''royal python''', is a [[Python (genus)|python]] species native to [[West Africa|West]] and [[Central Africa]], where it lives in [[grassland]]s, shrublands and open forests. This [[nonvenomous]] [[Constriction|constrictor]] is the smallest of the African pythons, growing to a maximum length of {{cvt|182|cm}}.<ref name=McD99>{{cite book |author1=McDiarmid, R. W. |author2=Campbell, J. A. |author3=Touré, T. |year=1999 |title=Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference |volume=1 |publisher=Herpetologists' League |location=Washington, DC |isbn=1-893777-00-6}}</ref> The name "ball python" refers to its tendency to curl into a ball when [[stress (biology)|stress]]ed or frightened.<ref name=Meh87>{{cite book |author=Mehrtens, J. M. |year=1987 |title=Living Snakes of the World in Color |location=New York |publisher=Sterling Publishers |isbn=080696460X |chapter=Ball Python, Royal Python (''Python regius'') |page=62 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/livingsnakesofwo00mehr/page/62}}</ref>

== Taxonomy ==
''Python Regius'' was the [[scientific name]] proposed by [[George Shaw (biologist)|George Shaw]] in 1802 for a pale variegated python from an indistinct place in Africa.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Shaw |first1=G. |year=1802 |title=General zoology, or Systematic natural history. Volume III, Part II |location=London |publisher=G. Kearsley |pages=347–348 |chapter=''Royal python'' |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/generalzoology3121802shaw/page/n561}}</ref>
The [[Genus (biology)|generic]] name ''Python'' was proposed by [[François Marie Daudin]] in 1803 for non-venomous flecked snakes.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Daudin |first1=F. M. |year=1803 |title=Histoire naturelle, générale et particulière, des reptiles |volume=Tome 8 |location=Paris |publisher=De l'Imprimerie de F. Dufart  |page=384 |chapter=''Python'' |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/histoirenaturel181802daud/page/384}}</ref> Between 1830 and 1849, several generic names were proposed for the same [[zoological specimen]] described by Shaw, including ''Enygrus'' by [[Johann Georg Wagler]], ''Cenchris'' and ''Hertulia'' by [[John Edward Gray]]. Gray also described four specimens that were collected in Gambia and were preserved in spirits and fluid.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Gray |first1=J. E. |year=1849 |chapter=The Royal Rock Snake |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/catalogueofspeci40brit/page/90 |pages=90–91 |title=Catalogue of the specimens of snakes in the collection of the British museum |publisher=The Trustees |location=London}}</ref>

==Description==
[[File:Python regius 070731 Portrait.jpg|thumb|Close-up of head]]
The ball python is black, or albino and dark brown with light brown blotches on the back and sides. Its white or cream belly is scattered with black markings. It is a stocky snake with a relatively small head and smooth scales.<ref name="Meh87"/> It reaches a maximum adult length of {{convert|182|cm|ftin|abbr=on}}. Males typically measure eight to ten [[subcaudal scales]], and females typically measure two to four subcaudal scales.<ref name="Bar06">{{cite book |author=Barker, D. G. |author2=Barker, T. M. |year=2006 |title=Ball Pythons: The History, Natural History, Care and Breeding |series=Pythons of the World |volume=2 |publisher=VPI Library |location=Boerne, TX |isbn=0-9785411-0-3}}</ref> Females reach an average snout-to-vent length of {{convert|116.2|cm|frac=16|abbr=on}}, a {{convert|44.3|mm|frac=32|abbr=on}} long jaw, an {{convert|8.7|cm|frac=16|abbr=on}} long tail and a maximum weight of {{convert|1.635|kg|lboz|abbr=on}}. Males are smaller with an average snout-to-vent length of {{convert|111.3|cm|frac=16|abbr=on}}, a {{convert|43.6|mm|frac=32|abbr=on}} long jaw, an {{convert|8.6|cm|frac=16|abbr=on}} long tail and a maximum weight of {{convert|1.561|kg|lboz|abbr=on}}.<ref name=Aubret_al2005>{{Cite journal |author1=Aubret, F. |author2=Bonnet, X. |author3=Harris, M. |author4=Maumelat, S. |year=2005 |title=Sex Differences in Body Size and Ectoparasite Load in the Ball Python, ''Python regius'' |journal=Journal of Herpetology |volume=39 |issue=2 |pages=315–320 |doi=10.1670/111-02N |jstor=4092910|s2cid=86230972 }}</ref>
Both sexes have [[pelvic spur]]s on both sides of the vent. During [[Copulation (zoology)|copulation]], males use these spurs for gripping females.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Rizzo, J. M.|year=2014 |title=Captive care and husbandry of ball pythons (''Python regius'') |journal=Journal of Herpetological Medicine and Surgery |volume=24 |issue=1 |pages=48–52 |doi=10.5818/1529-9651-24.1.48|s2cid=162806864 }}</ref> Males tend to have larger spurs, 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.<ref name="McCurley">{{cite book |author=McCurley, K. |year=2005 |title=The Complete Ball Python: A Comprehensive Guide to Care, Breeding and Genetic Mutations |publisher=ECO & Serpent's Tale Natural History Books |isbn=978-097-131-9}}</ref>

==Distribution and habitat==
The ball python is native to west [[Sub Saharan Africa]] from [[Senegal]] through [[Cameroon]] to [[Sudan]] and [[Uganda]].<ref name=iucn/>
It prefers grasslands, [[savannas]], and sparsely wooded areas.<ref name="Meh87"/>

==Behavior and ecology==
Ball pythons are typically nocturnal or crepuscular, meaning that they are active during dusk, dawn, and/or nighttime.<ref name="Luiselli and Angelici 1998" /> This 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. This defense behavior is typically employed in lieu of biting, which makes this species easy for humans to handle and has contributed to their popularity as a pet.<ref name="Meh87"/>

In the wild, ball pythons favor mammal burrows and other underground hiding places, where they also [[Aestivation|aestivate]].  Males tend to display more semi-arboreal behaviors, whilst females tend towards terrestrial behaviors.<ref name="Luiselli and Angelici 1998" />

===Diet===
The diet of the ball python in the wild consists mostly of small mammals and birds. Young ball pythons of less than {{cvt|70|cm}} prey foremost on small birds. Ball pythons longer than {{cvt|100|cm}} prey foremost on small mammals. Males prey more frequently on birds, and females more frequently on mammals.<ref name="Luiselli and Angelici 1998">{{cite journal |last1=Luiselli |first1=L. |last2=Angelici |first2=F. M. |name-list-style=amp |title=Sexual size dimorphism and natural history traits are correlated with intersexual dietary divergence in royal pythons (''Python regius'') from the rainforests of southeastern Nigeria |journal=Italian Journal of Zoology |date=1998 |volume=65 |issue=2 |pages=183–185 |doi=10.1080/11250009809386744}}</ref> Rodents make up a large percentage of the diet; [[Gambian pouched rat]]s, [[black rat]]s, [[Oenomys|rufous-nosed rat]]s, [[Dasymys|shaggy rat]]s, and [[Lemniscomys|striped grass mice]] are among the species consumed.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Python_regius/ |title=''Python regius'' (Ball Python, Royal Python)|website=[[Animal Diversity Web]] }}</ref>

===Reproduction===
[[File:Ball Python Eggs Incubating.jpg|thumb|Ball python eggs incubating]]
Females are [[oviparous]] and lay three to 11 rather large, leathery eggs.<ref name="Bar06"/> The eggs hatch after 55 to 60 days. Young male pythons reach sexual maturity at 11–18 months, and females at 20–36 months. Age is only one factor in determining sexual maturity and the ability to breed; weight is the second factor. Males breed at {{convert|600|g|abbr=on}} or more, but in captivity are often not bred until they are {{convert|800|g|abbr=on}}, although in captivity, some males have been known to begin breeding at {{convert|300-400|g|abbr=on}}. Females breed in the wild at weights as low as {{convert|800|g|abbr=on}} though {{convert|1200|g|abbr=on}} or more in weight is most common; in captivity, breeders generally wait until they are no less than {{convert|1500|g|abbr=on}}. Parental care of the eggs ends once they hatch, and the female leaves the offspring to fend for themselves.<ref name="McCurley" />

[[parthenogenesis|Parthenogenetic reproduction]] was demonstrated in a pet ball python.<ref name = DiIanni2023>{{cite journal |vauthors=Di Ianni F, Albarella S, Vetere A, Torcello M, Ablondi M, Pugliano M, Di Mauro S, Parma P, Ciotola F |title=Demonstration of Parthenogenetic Reproduction in a Pet Ball Python (Python regius) through Analysis of Early-Stage Embryos |journal=Genes (Basel) |volume=14 |issue=9 |date=August 2023 |page=1744 |pmid=37761884 |pmc=10531270 |doi=10.3390/genes14091744 |doi-access=free |url=}}</ref> A genetic comparison of a mother and her early-stage embryos demonstrated the parthenogenetic origin of the latter.<ref name = DiIanni2023/>

== Threats ==
The ball python is listed as [[Near Threatened]] on the [[IUCN Red List]]; it experiences a high level of exploitation and the population is believed to be in decline in most of West Africa.<ref name=iucn/> The ball python is primarily threatened by [[poaching]] for the international exotic [[pet trade]]. It is also hunted for its skin, meat and use in [[traditional medicine]]. Other threats include habitat loss as a result of intensified agriculture and pesticide use.<ref name=iucn/> Rural hunters in Togo collect gravid females and egg clutches, which they sell to snake ranches. In 2019 alone, 58 interviewed hunters had collected 3,000 live ball pythons and 5,000 eggs.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=D’Cruze |first1=N. |last2=Harrington |first2=L.A. |last3=Assou |first3=D. |last4=Ronfot |first4=De. |last5=Macdonald |first5=D.W. |last6=Segniagbeto |first6=G.H. |last7=Auliya |first7=M. |title=Searching for snakes: ball python hunting in southern Togo, West Africa |journal=Nature Conservation |date=2020 |volume=38 |pages=13–36 |doi=10.3897/natureconservation.38.47864 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

==In captivity==
[[File:Albino ball python.png|thumb|An [[albinism|albino]] ball python]]
[[File:Ball python (Python regius), Bronx Zoo.jpg|thumb|A ball python in the [[Bronx Zoo]]]]
Ball pythons are the most popular pet snake and the second most popular pet reptile after the [[bearded dragon]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Valdez |first1=Jose W. |title=Using Google Trends to Determine Current, Past, and Future Trends in the Reptile Pet Trade |journal=Animals |date=3 March 2021 |volume=11 |issue=3 |pages=676 |doi=10.3390/ani11030676 |pmc=8001315 |pmid=33802560 |doi-access=free }}</ref> According to the IUCN Red List, while captive bred animals are widely available in the pet trade, capture of wild specimens for sale continues to cause significant damage to wild populations.<ref name="iucn" /> 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 [[Parasitism|parasites]].{{Citation needed|date=April 2022}} This species can do quite well in captivity, regularly living for 15–30 years with good care. The oldest recorded ball python in captivity is 62 years, 59 of those at the [[Saint Louis Zoo]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/sep/11/a-new-squeeze-snake-mystery-after-lone-elderly-python-lays-clutch-of-eggs |title=A new squeeze? Snake mystery after lone, elderly python lays a clutch of eggs |website=[[TheGuardian.com]] |year=2020 |access-date=2020-09-11}}</ref>

===Breeding===
[[File:Killer bee ball python snake.png|thumb|A killer bee morph on display]]
Captive ball pythons are often bred for specific patterns that do not occur in the wild, called "morphs."<ref>{{cite web |website=Reptiles magazine |url=http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/A-Crash-Course-in-Ball-Python-Reptile-Genetics/ |title=A Crash Course in Ball Python/Reptile Genetics |date=2016 |author=Bulinski, S. C.}}</ref><ref name= "Giggs 2023">{{cite magazine|first=Rebecca|last=Giggs|url= https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/02/26/inside-the-world-of-designer-ball-pythons|title=Skin in the Game|magazine=[[The New Yorker]]|date=February 21, 2024| access-date=February 19, 2024}}</ref> Breeders are continuously creating new designer morphs, and over 7,500 different morphs currently exist.<ref name= "Giggs 2023"/><ref>{{Cite web |title=Morph List – World of Ball Pythons |url=http://www.worldofballpythons.com/morphs/ |access-date=2021-08-31 |website=World of Ball Pythons}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Yurdakul E. |date=2020 |title=Ball Python Morphs |url=https://reptilianworld.com/reptile/snake-reptile/ball-python-morphs/ |website=Reptilian world |access-date=2 March 2020 |archive-date=2 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200302012845/https://reptilianworld.com/reptile/snake-reptile/ball-python-morphs/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Most morphs are considered solely cosmetic with no harm or benefit to the individual animal. However, the "spider" morph gene has been linked to neurological disease, typically involving symptoms such as head tremors and lack of coordination that are collectively referred to as "wobble syndrome."<ref>{{Cite journal |author=Rose, M. P. & Williams, D. L. |year=2014 |title=Neurologic dysfunction in a ball python (''Python regius'') color morph, and implications for welfare |journal=Journal of Exotic Pet Medicine |volume=23 |issue=3 |pages=234–239 |doi=10.1053/j.jepm.2014.06.002 }}</ref> Due to the ethical concerns associated with intentionally breeding a color pattern linked to genetic disease, the International Herpetological Society banned the sale of spider morphs at their events beginning in 2018.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=International Herpetological Society |url=http://www.ihs-web.org.uk/ihs-news.php?hash=d6ff9182701ee47dd9ebc5a38e05ba1f&mnid=24&page=3 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200508051212/http://www.ihs-web.org.uk/ihs-news.php?hash=d6ff9182701ee47dd9ebc5a38e05ba1f&mnid=24&page=3 |archive-date=2020-05-08  |title=Breeders Meetings – New Policy – June 2017 |date=2017}}</ref>

==In culture==
The ball python is particularly revered by the [[Igbo people]] in southeastern [[Nigeria]], who consider it symbolic of the earth, being an animal that travels so close to the ground. Even Christian Igbos treat ball pythons with great care whenever they come across one in a village or on someone's property; they either let them roam or pick them up gently and return them to a forest or field away from houses. If one is accidentally killed, many communities on Igbo land still build a coffin for the snake's remains and give it a short funeral.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hambly |first1=Wilfrid D. |title=Serpent worship in Africa |journal=Fieldiana Anthropology |series=Publication. Field Museum of Natural History |date=1931 |volume=21 |issue=1 |pages=1–85 |jstor=29782194 |doi=10.5962/bhl.title.7137 |hdl=10111/UIUCOCA:serpentworshipin211hamb |oclc=678589753 |url=https://archive.org/details/serpentworshipin211hamb |doi-access=free }}{{Obsolete source|reason=This source is roughly 90 years old, and as a source of anthropology is likely to have been affected by attitudes towards non-Western cultures of the time. An updated source is required.|date=May 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Udengwu |first1=Ngozi |last2=Erojikwe |first2=Ikechukwu |last3=Nnanna |first3=Ndubuisi |title=Cultural transformation and the trials of the sacred python in text and context |journal=Creative Artist: A Journal of Theatre and Media Studies |date=2019 |volume=13 |issue=2 |pages=22–49 |url=https://www.ajol.info/index.php/cajtms/article/view/214874 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Drewal |first1=Henry John |title=Interpretation, Invention, and Re-Presentation in the Worship of Mami Wata |journal=Journal of Folklore Research |date=1988 |volume=25 |issue=1/2 |pages=101–139 |jstor=3814277 }}</ref> In northwestern [[Ghana]], there is a taboo towards pythons as people consider them a savior and cannot hurt or eat them. According to folklore a python once helped them flee from their enemies by transforming into a log to allow them to cross a river.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Diawuo |first1=Francis |last2=Issifu |first2=Abdul Karim |title=Exploring the African traditional belief systems in natural resource conservation and management in Ghana |journal=Journal of Pan African Studies |date=December 2015 |volume=8 |issue=9 |pages=115–132 |id={{Gale|A441766901}} |s2cid=146125167 |url=https://www.jpanafrican.org/docs/vol8no9/8.9-10-FDiawuo.pdf }}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
{{Wikispecies|Python regius}}
* {{ITIS |id=634784 |taxon=''Python regius'' |access-date=12 September 2007}}
* {{NRDB species|genus=Python|species=regius|date=12 September |year=2007}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Krishnasamy |first1=Vikram |last2=Stevenson |first2=Lauren |last3=Koski |first3=Lia |last4=Kellis |first4=Marilee |last5=Schroeder |first5=Betsy |last6=Sundararajan |first6=Madhura |last7=Ladd-Wilson |first7=Stephen |last8=Sampsel |first8=Ashley |last9=Mannell |first9=Mike |last10=Classon |first10=Andrew |last11=Wagner |first11=Darlene |last12=Hise |first12=Kelley |last13=Carleton |first13=Heather |last14=Trees |first14=Eija |last15=Schlater |first15=Linda |last16=Lantz |first16=Kristina |last17=Nichols |first17=Megin |title=Notes from the Field: Investigation of an Outbreak of Salmonella Paratyphi B Variant L(+) tartrate + (Java) Associated with Ball Python Exposure — United States, 2017 |journal=MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report |date=19 May 2018 |volume=67 |issue=19 |pages=562–563 |doi=10.15585/mmwr.mm6719a7 |pmid=29771878 |pmc=6048943 }}
*[https://sites.google.com/emich.edu/ballpythongeneticsproject/home Ball Python Genetics Project of Eastern Michigan University, US]

{{Pythonidae}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q464424}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Python (genus)|ball python]]
[[Category:Snakes of Africa]]
[[Category:Fauna of Sub-Saharan Africa]]
[[Category:Reptiles of West Africa]]
[[Category:Reptiles of Cameroon]]
[[Category:Reptiles of the Central African Republic]]
[[Category:Reptiles of the Democratic Republic of the Congo]]
[[Category:Reptiles of South Sudan]]
[[Category:Reptiles of Uganda]]
[[Category:Reptiles described in 1802|ball python]]
[[Category:Taxa named by George Shaw]]
[[Category:Reptiles as pets]]