AFRICAN BURROWING PYTHONS
Physical Characteristics - The conical head is clearly set off from the neck. the body is thick, the tail short and carrot shaped. The ground color on the back of the body is a chocolate brown, and there are yellowish to grayish-white blotches of irregular shapes all over it and the sides. The blotches can be one color or have oe or several brown dots at the center. A narrow, yellow stripe runs across the templs from the tip of the nose to the neck region.
Length - 3-4 feet; in some cases over 5 feet.
Distribution and behavior - Native to western Africa, where it is distributed from Senegal to Sierra Leone and the Ivory Coast and in large areas of central Africa. It lives in open forests, in the savanna, and in the bush and is often found near water. Not aggressive and rarely bites humans. It gets the name Ball Python because it rolls itself in a ball when threatened. It is also nocturnal.
Physical Characteristics - The long head is somewhat set off from the neck. The body is more slender than that of other pythons but is very powerful. The ground color vaies from pale yellow to dark or olive brown. The back is covered with roundish, oval, or rhombic blotches that form a kind of lattice pattern. The blotches are yellowish to brown with yellow and shiny black borders. A black line runs down the center of the head from the tip of the snout to the nape, and there is a black band running from the eye to the neck on both sides. The yellowish underside is sparsely sprinkled with black.
Length - 16-19 feet; and sometimes over 26 feet.
Distribution and behavior - Distributed over wide parts of Southeast Asia. On the mainland it is found in Burma, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, and on the Malay peninsula, and it occurs on Sumatra, the Philippines, Borneo, Celebes, the Moluccas, Java, Lombock, Sumbawa, Sumba, Flores, Timor, and a number of smaller islands. It likes the dense, hot, humid jungle. Sometimes it penetrates to inhabited areas and is, in fact, encountered there quite frequently. It feeds on various mammals and birds that may be as large as ducks or dogs. They are unpredictable toward humans and capable of ferocious attacks. There is a story of a 14 year old boy getting swallowed by one.
BALL PYTHON
RETICULATED PYTHON
