Animalz

Ball Python

Python regius

Ball pythons occur in captive color morphs. A community-sourced study linked color patterns in Albino, Lavender Albino and Ultramel animals with variants in pigment-related genes.[2]

Size and lifespan

Total length
maximum in a source 150 cm[3]
Body length
maximum in a source 112.5 cm[3]
Total length
maximum in a source 180 cm[4]
Total length
newly hatched or born Reported size 38.5 cm[4]

Appearance

In the sampled morphs, Albinos had white or light-beige patches, Lavender Albinos had lavender patches, and Ultramels had tan or light-brown patches.[2]

Life

Snakes shed their old skin.[2]

Researchers examined shed-skin DNA from 50 Albinos and 56 non-Albinos across 18 U.S. states. The study linked color in each of three captive morphs with a different pigment-related gene variant.[2]

Places

In captivity · 18 U.S. states (pet-sample locations)[2]

The study used shed skins contributed by pet owners and breeders in 18 U.S. states.

Sources

  1. Catalogue of Life 2026-09-25 XR

    Catalogue of Life · 2026-10-13

  2. A community-science approach identifies genetic variants associated with three color morphs in ball pythons (Python regius)

    PLOS ONE · 2026-10-25

  3. ReptTraits v4: reported total, snout–vent and straight carapace lengths (Oskyrko et al., 2024)

    Oskyrko, Mi, Meiri and Du / Figshare · 2026-10-27

  4. SquamBase 1.0: reported maximum, adult female and hatchling/neonate lengths (Meiri, 2024)

    Shai Meiri / Dryad · 2026-10-27

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