Ball Python

The Ball Python, also known as the Royal python, is a python species found in West Africa and the central African Republic to Sudan and Uganda. The name “royal python” comes from the fact that rulers in Africa would wear the python as jewelry. This is the smallest of the African pythons, popular in the pet trade largely due to its small size. Its color pattern is typically black or dark brown with light brown or gold sides and dorsal blotches. The name “ball python” refers to the animal’s tendency to curl into a ball when stressed or frightened. Ball pythons prefer grasslands, and sparsely wooded areas.

Like other pythons, ball pythons are non-venomous constrictors that sense heat through small pits along their upper and lower lips, letting them detect warm-blooded prey even in total darkness. Females lay a clutch of 4–10 eggs and coil tightly around them for the entire incubation period, using muscle contractions to generate warmth and protect the eggs until they hatch. Decades of captive breeding have also produced hundreds of color and pattern variations, called morphs, making them one of the most popular snakes in the reptile-keeping hobby. Meet our ball python at Plumpton Park Zoo — plan your visit.