beak

ball_python

Ball pythons (Python regius) are found at the edges of the forest lands of Central and Western Africa. They are equally comfortable on the ground and in trees. They are crepuscular, active around dawn and dusk. Called royal pythons in Europe, here in the United States we call them "balls" due to their habit of curling themselves up into a tight ball when they are nervous, their heads pulled firmly into the center. Like most pythons, ball pythons are curious and gentle snakes.

Ball pythons typically reach 4 feet (1.2 m) in length; occasionally there are specimens that reach 5 feet (1.5 m). When properly fed, their bodies become nicely rounded. Like all pythons and boas, ball pythons have anal spurs. These single claws appearing on either side of the vent are the vestigial remains of the hind legs snakes lost during their evolution from lizard to snake millions of years ago. Males have longer spurs than do the females; males also have smaller heads than the females.


Ball pythons, like all pythons and boas, devour a variety of prey in the wild - amphibians, lizards, other snakes, birds and small mammals. They do not eat mice in the wild, however, and do not recognize the mice we offer them as being something edible. Thus, imported wild-caught ball pythons tend to be very picky eaters, at least initially, and drive their owners to distraction in their attempts to get them to eat something.

Ball pythons are reputed to be able to go for extended periods of time without food; wild-caught ball pythons have gone for a year or more without food until finally enticed to eat lizards and other snakes. This is not a healthy trait and must not be a reason for selecting this species. This should also make you suspicious when a pet store tells you that their ball pythons are eating well.

Buying captive-born ball pythons reduces the stress on the threatened populations in the wild and helps ensure you will get a healthy, established eater and a snake already used to contact with humans. Buying from a reputable breeder will ensure that you will get the help and advice you need to assure that your ball feels comfortable and secure enough to eat after you bring it home and let it get settled for a week or so.

With the increased popularity of reptiles as pets there is increased pressure on wild populations. In addition to the more than 60,000 ball pythons that are imported annually, ball pythons are killed for food and their skin is used for leather in their native land. For some reason, despite their low reproduction rate, wild ball pythons are the least expensive pythons on the market, generally wholesaling for under ten dollars. Imported ball pythons also harbor several different types of parasites which may go unnoticed by the novice snake owner. All around, it is better to buy a captive-born hatchling or an established, well-feeding juvenile, sub-adult or adult than an imported ball of any age.

In captivity, young ball pythons will grow about a foot a year during the first three years. They will reach sexual maturity in three to five years. The longest living ball python on record was over 48 years old when it died. Egg-layers, female ball pythons encircle their four to ten eggs, remaining with then from the time they are laid until they hatch. During this three month period, they will not leave the eggs and will not eat.

aruba_rattlesnake

The Aruba Island rattlesnake, also called the Arubian cascabel, is the one of the rarest rattlesnakes in the world. It is about three feet long and has distinctive markings in pale pink, blue and brown.
The Aruba Island rattlesnake is found only on the southern end of the small volcanic island of Aruba, located in the Netherlands Antilles, 15 miles off the coast of Venezuela.

The southern end of Aruba is a rocky, dry, largely uninhabited area which is sometimes referred to as cunucu land. It is covered with cactus scrub and other thorny plants. The snakes are usually found in rocky arroyos and adjacent hills.
Small lizards, frogs, mammals and birds are thought to make up the diet of the rattlesnake.
The mating season on Aruba lasts from September to January. Aruba Island rattlesnakes are live bearers rather than egg-layers, and five to twelve young are born sometime in the spring.

It is not known how many Aruba Island rattlesnakes remain in the wild. It is listed as threatened in the IUCN Red Data Book and by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.


Only ten square miles of relatively undisturbed habitat remain on Aruba. Resort development and other forms of human encroachment are the biggest threat to the rattlesnake. In past centuries, much of the island's trees were cut down for charcoal and firewood, and some land was used for aloe cultivation. Introduced feral goats have wreaked havoc on the vegetation, even at the southern end of the island. There are also some concerns about the number of snakes being captured for pets or killed for their rattles. While export of the snake from the island is illegal, it has no other legal protection.

yellow ana

ana

The Anaconda is in the boa family and the largest is the Eunectes murin us. Like most snakes it has suffered greatly from much exaggeration and scary folklore. It seems that the longest specimen on record is a 9+ meter snake at a little over 37 feet in strong squeezing length. Travelers' diaries and notes often refer to 40 foot individuals and references to 140 foot monsters have actually been made, but likely never confirmed.

The name seems to be derived from the South American Indian word combinations referencing elephant and killer. Probably appropriate for the largest predator on that continent! Most people have real trouble conjuring up an actual 35+ foot thick bodied snake that weighs several hundred pounds! The movie may have helped our abilities to invent and embellish here.

The anaconda is also referred to as a water boa supported by its tendency to live in or near the swamps and back river systems. This is truly a constrictor! These specimens usually utilize a swift bite to hold their prey (or victim), followed by a coiling of a loop or two around the main body. Once these loops are in position, the snake will steadily constrict with incredible strength to suffocate the captive. It is the combination of sheer strength and unrelenting power that quickly replaces any breathing room.

With each exhale of air, the lung slack is removed for any follow-up inhale! In moments, the prey is ready to consume. The larger specimens take on deer, pigs, caiman, fish, and larger prey. Of course, not all specimens are huge and each size gradient eats appropriately sized food, being able to swallow objects much larger in diameter than their own thickest section. Simply holding a victim under water until drowning occurs is another less exciting but effective technique used by the anaconda in daily living.

They actually tend to be nocturnal which adds even more to the mystique on a dark still night! Due to their sometimes unwieldy size, they appear sluggish on land or hanging in a tree but in water they are capable of surprising speed on the surface and underneath. Even with the huge size, they can stalk so stealthily that not a ripple is felt by a hapless victim until the water is churning as the killing grasp takes place! They often simply wait near the water on a tree limb and come raining down to catch animals as they come for necessary water.

The victim is seldom crushed although there is ample ability to do this. As with all snakes, the suffocated victim is swallowed whole and in one piece. Primarily the head is swallowed first as the limbs tend to fold conveniently in and smoothly move down the rippling muscles as swallowing occurs, compressing the prey with each surge forward. Very quickly, there is little outward evidence of a bump or object being present and a large proportionate meal may last for weeks. Like all snakes, this species has a rather slow digestive tract and fortunately for the predator's targets, hunting does not occur every day.

Anacondas are viviparous and thus give birth to live young. Sometimes as many as a hundred may be born but most often 20 to 30 babies around two feet in length are the result. Many fall prey to other predators in the food chain so that few will ever become the dominant top of the chain as adults.

Stories about enormous size and awesome man-eating qualities are exciting but not the usual. A skin of a freshly killed anaconda may stretch a full 30% in length, as in all snakes, while being tanned. This ability obviously lends support to the typical hunter's story of the dangers encountered! Most travelers who have witnessed an actual "top of the line" anaconda in action, though, will be joined by their friends in understandably easy exaggerations! The anaconda at full adulthood is truly a natural wonder and is easily one of the most impressive creatures alive.