Fact sheet

Question 1

What is another name for the Ball Python?

Answer 1

Royal Python

Question 2

What is it’s range?

Answer 2

West and Central Africa

Question 3

What is it’s habitat?

Answer 3

Grasslands and open forests

Question 4

What is its conservation status?

Answer 4

Vulnerable

Question 5

What is it’s size?

Answer 5

4-6

Question 6

Fun fact about its size

Answer 6

Females are larger than males

Question 7

What is its lifespan in the wild?

Answer 7

10 years

Question 8

What is its lifespan in the Zoo?

Answer 8

20 years

Question 9

What is their lifespan record?

Answer 9

48 years

Question 10

When are they active?

Answer 10

They are active during the evening

Question 11

What do they eat in the wild?

Answer 11

Rodents

Question 12

What do they eat in the zoo?

Answer 12

Mice and chicks

Question 13

How do they reproduce?

Answer 13

By laying eggs

Question 14

When do they breed?

Answer 14

September through November

Question 15

When is their gestation period?

Answer 15

44-54 days

Question 16

When is their incubation period?

Answer 16

50-60 days

Question 17

How many young do they leave?

Answer 17

1-11

Question 18

When are they fully developed?

Answer 18

2 years

Question 19

Why are they also called royal pythons

Answer 19

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.

Question 20

What does the ball Python have that other snakes don’t?

Answer 20

They are the only snakes with two functional lungs and they also have vestigial pelvic bones and leg bones.

Question 21

What is there threat reaction?

Answer 21

The snake will roll into a tight ball with the head tucked in the middle.

Question 22

What are some people’s reason for this?

Answer 22

Some think this fools some predators such as eagles into thinking the snake is a ball of elephant dung.

Question 23

What happens during the incubation period?

Answer 23

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.

Question 24

How can these snakes locate their prey?

Answer 24

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.

Question 25

How can these snakes track their prey?

Answer 25

The heat sensing pits along the lip help the snake track its warm-blooded prey.

Question 26

What is the ball pythons biggest threat?

Answer 26

The main threat that ball pythons face is over collection for the pet trade.