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Python regius
Habitat: Royal pythons are found in savannah grasslands and open forests throughout their range.
Diet: Royal pythons eat rodents almost exclusively. They feed primarily on several species of native African rodents, including rats, and gerbils. Royal pythons generally do not eat during the times of the year when night temperatures drop to the low 70's or lower.
Physical Description: Length ranges from 1 to 2 meters in length (3 to 6 feet). Royal pythons vary considerably in their color and pattern. Some snakes are tan, brown or reddish. Others may be pale yellow or orange yellow. The patterns of these snakes also vary greatly. Some are spotted, some have stripes and others are spotted and striped. There is no obvious secondary sexual characteristic that allow for instant determination of sex.
Reproduction: Breeding occurs when temperatures drop to the low 70's or lower and pythons stop feeding. In Africa, this is usually during December and January. Breeding by royal pythons occurs only every two or three years. Females are fertilized internally. After mating and fertilization, the female lays between 4 to 10 eggs depending on her size and condition. Following laying, the female python stays with her eggs and wraps her coils around them. She protects them by loosening or tightening her coils around them and providing insulation from air temperatures. Females do not eat during this period, which can last up to three months until the hatchlings finally emerge from their eggs. If the female is healthy, this brooding process usually does not affect her negatively, but if she is not healthy she may become weakened and very susceptible to disease. After the hatchlings come out of their eggs, they are on their own. They often come back to the eggs for a day or so after they are hatched to feed from them.
Behavior: Royal pythons are most active at night, when they hunt for their food. When the royal python catches its prey with its sharp, backward pointing teeth, it quickly throws coils around the victim until the prey dies of asphyxiation. After the prey is dead, the python swallows its catch whole. As a defense mechanism, the royal python rolls up into a tight ball. This is how it received the nickname "ball python."
Status: Royal pythons are a highly exploited species
Fun Facts:
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To facilitate nocturnal hunting these pythons have eyes that are adapted to dim light. Another adaptation that helps the python in their nocturnal hunting is the heat sensitive organs located in the scales bordering in the python's mouth. These organs enable it to locate warm blooded prey in complete darkness. |
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Royal pythons are very useful in keeping rodent population under control. They are a source of food for the native people in their area of origin, and they are important in the pet trade. |
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Royal pythons are "one of the most widely sold snakes in the pet trade. They are appealing because of their beauty and their tameness. But they are also some of the most problematic. |
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