Ball python

The ball python is a small, gentle snake with a chunky body and a neat little head. Its skin is patterned with warm brown blotches on a darker background, and its tummy is a soft creamy white. Grown-up ball pythons are usually about one to one and a half metres long, which is roughly the length of a tall grown-up lying down. The females are a bit bigger than the males.

Ball pythons live in the warm grasslands and open woodlands of western and central Africa. They love to hide, and they spend much of their time on the ground or tucked away underground in cosy burrows that other animals have dug. They rest quietly through the hot day and come out mostly at dusk and during the night to look for food.

This snake has a very famous, friendly trick. When a ball python feels frightened, it does not like to bite. Instead it curls its body into a tight little ball and hides its head safely in the middle. That is exactly how it got its name. Because they are so calm and gentle, ball pythons are one of the best-known pet snakes in the world.

Ball pythons have no venom at all. To catch a meal, a python gives a gentle but firm hug. It wraps its coils around its food and holds on, and this careful squeeze is how it hunts small animals like mice, other little mammals, and birds. A mother ball python lays a small clutch of leathery eggs, curls around them to keep them warm, and the babies hatch out after about two months.

Ball pythons are listed as near threatened, which means people are keeping a close eye on them. Many are taken from the wild to be sold, and this can leave fewer snakes in the grasslands where they belong. Looking after their wild homes, and caring for pet snakes kindly and responsibly, both help ball pythons in the years ahead.