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What the sources say

Ball PythonPython regius

Every figure, record and mechanism on the Ball Python profile was written from a source, and this is the working table behind it: 63 claims checked word for word against these sources. The left column is what the page says. The right column is the source's own words, copied, not paraphrased; a ... marks a cut and[brackets] an insertion. Open any source and check it yourself.

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Source
01

Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan

Python regius. Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

The page sayswraps itself into a tight ball when threatened
The source saysBall pythons are known for the protective mechanism of “balling,” where they form a tight ball with the head at the center in response to threats
The page saysSavanna grasslands and open forests
The source saysThey inhabit savanna grasslands or open forests and are found in areas that have been cleared for farming.
The page saysCan detect heat given off by other animals
The source saysThis animal has a special ability to detect heat from other organisms in its environment.
The page saysheavy-bodied
The source saysTheir heads are larger than their relatively slender necks and they are considered heavy-bodied.
The page saysIt lives in savanna grasslands and open forests, and also in areas cleared for farming
The source saysThey inhabit savanna grasslands or open forests and are found in areas that have been cleared for farming.
The page saysThey are most active at dawn and dusk
The source saysThey are most active at dawn and dusk.
The page saysTheir best-known defense
The source saysBall pythons are best known for “balling,” in which they form a tight ball with the head at the center.
The page saysIt has other defenses too, including camouflage, escape attempts, bluffing displays and biting
The source saysDefenses include camouflage, escape attempts, bluffing displays, and biting.
The page saysThey hunt using smell and sight
The source saysThey use chemical and visual cues to hunt for their prey.Note: 'Chemical cues' given as smell for the 11-14 audience.
The page saysthey can also detect heat given off by other animals
The source saysThis animal has a special ability to detect heat from other organisms in its environment.
The page saysResearch suggests they may follow the scent trails of their prey, because those trails reflect ultraviolet light
The source saysOther research suggests that ball pythons may follow the scent trails of their mammalian prey because those trails reflect ultraviolet light.
The page saysA ball python pulls back its head and neck and strikes fast. It then swallows its prey alive or first holds it still by constriction
The source saysThe feeding strategy is to retract the head and neck and strike rapidly. After the rapid strike, they swallow prey alive or immobilize by constriction.
The page saysBreeding runs mostly from mid-September through mid-November
The source saysThe breeding season is primarily from mid-September through mid-November, correlating with the minor rainy season.
The page saysA female lays a clutch of 1 to 11 eggs
The source saysA clutch is from 1 to 11 eggs.
The page sayscoils around them until they hatch, about two months later
The source saysAfter laying their clutch of eggs, female ball pythons coil around their clutches until hatched (after approximately 2 months).
The page saysstaying close to protect them from predators
The source saysBall pythons also stay in close proximity to eggs to protect them from predators.
The page saysIt hunts using smell and sight
The source saysThey use chemical and visual cues to hunt for their prey.
The page saysit can also detect heat given off by other animals
The source saysThis animal has a special ability to detect heat from other organisms in its environment.
The page saysResearch suggests it may even follow the scent trails of its prey, because those trails reflect ultraviolet light
The source saysOther research suggests that ball pythons may follow the scent trails of their mammalian prey because those trails reflect ultraviolet light.
The page saysAfter laying a clutch of 1 to 11 eggs, a female coils around them until they hatch, about two months later
The source saysAfter laying their clutch of eggs, female ball pythons coil around their clutches until hatched (after approximately 2 months). Hatchlings are immediately independent, but remain in the vicinity for months after. Mating System polygynandrous (promiscuous) polygynandrous (promiscuous) Ball pythons have long reproductive lives that last from about 27 months to 30 years. The breeding season is primarily from mid-September through mid-November, correlating with the minor rainy season. A clutch is from 1 to 11 eggs.
The page saysstays close to protect them from predators
The source saysBall pythons also stay in close proximity to eggs to protect them from predators.
The page saysTwo Months on Guard
The source saysAfter laying their clutch of eggs, female ball pythons coil around their clutches until hatched (after approximately 2 months).Note: Heading: 'on guard' is the source's 'stay in close proximity to eggs to protect them from predators'.
The page saystags: infrared-vision
The source saysThis animal has a special ability to detect heat from other organisms in its environment.Note: settle #450: kept. Oakland Zoo: 'a line of pit organs around their upper lip'; Gracheva et al. 2010 (10.1038/nature08943): TRPA1 in the pit organs of 'pit-bearing snakes (vipers, pythons and boas)'

Source
02

Oakland Zoo

Royal (Ball) Python. Oakland Zoo.

The page sayscan go weeks to months between meals
The source saysThey eat large, infrequent meals, often going weeks to months without feeding.
The page saysSavanna grasslands and open forests of West and Central Africa, from Senegal to South Sudan and Uganda
The source saysWild ball pythons are found in West and Central Africa just north of the equator. They are found from Senegal to South Sudan and Uganda.
The page saysincluding land cleared for farming
The source saysThey are also found in more developed areas that have been cleared for farming.
The page saysAlmost only small mammals, usually rats, caught from ambush and swallowed whole
The source saysThey are formidable ambush predators and spend most of their time sitting in wait. When they are ready to strike, they retract their heads to strike rapidly. They then continue to immobilize the prey by constricting with their bodies before swallowing the prey whole. They almost exclusively prey on small mammals, usually rats.Note: 'Almost only' is a plain-English rendering of the source's 'almost exclusively'.
The page saysa small, heavy-bodied python
The source saysThese small pythons reach a full 3-5 feet in length
The page saysfrom West and Central Africa, found from Senegal to South Sudan and Uganda
The source saysWild ball pythons are found in West and Central Africa just north of the equator. They are found from Senegal to South Sudan and Uganda.
The page saysAdults reach 3 to 5 feet long and weigh 3 to 5 pounds, and females tend to be larger than males
The source saysThese small pythons reach a full 3-5 feet in length, with females tending to be larger than males. Ball pythons, also known as royal pythons, have relatively bulky heads compared to their slender necks. The rest of their body is thick and heavy, weighing between 3-5 pounds.
The page saysA hatchling is only about a foot long and weighs about a fifth of a pound
The source saysBaby ball pythons are about a fifth of a pound upon hatching and only about a foot long.
The page saysIn the wild a ball python lives an estimated 10 years; in protected care, 20 to 30
The source saysEstimated Lifespan Wild: 10 years; Protected Care: 20-30 years
The page saysOakland Zoo in California reports one that has lived 35 years and counting
The source saysthe Oakland Zoo has one ball python that has lived 35 years (and counting!)Note: The zoo's page footer gives its address as Oakland, CA.
The page saysBall pythons live alone and are usually found in or near burrows
The source saysBall pythons are solitary and can typically be found in or near burrows.
The page saysTheir best-known defense gives them their name: when threatened, a ball python wraps itself into a tight ball with its head protected in the center
The source saysWhen scared, they assume a defensive “ball” posture that gives them their name. They wrap their body up in a tight ball with their head protected in the center.
The page saysBall pythons are ambush predators that spend most of their time sitting in wait
The source saysThey are formidable ambush predators and spend most of their time sitting in wait.
The page saysIt feeds almost only on small mammals, usually rats, and eats large, infrequent meals, often going weeks to months without feeding
The source saysThey almost exclusively prey on small mammals, usually rats. They eat large, infrequent meals, often going weeks to months without feeding.Note: 'Almost only' is a plain-English rendering of the source's 'almost exclusively'.
The page saysSelective breeding in captivity has produced a wide variety of color morphs
The source saysBall pythons can come in a variety of different color morphs, which have been amplified by selective breeding among captive populations.
The page saysOakland Zoo reports that more than 3.5 million ball pythons have been taken from the wild since 1997
The source saysSince 1997, over 3.5 million ball pythons have been taken from the wild.
The page sayswhich Oakland Zoo puts down to habitat loss for urban development and to capture for the pet trade
The source saysthey are listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red list. This is due to habitat loss for urban development as well as being taken for the pet trade.
The page saysThat defensive ball posture is what gives the species its name
The source saysWhen scared, they assume a defensive “ball” posture that gives them their name.
The page saysWhen it is scared, a ball python wraps its body into a tight ball with its head protected in the center
The source saysThey wrap their body up in a tight ball with their head protected in the center.
The page saysspends most of its time sitting in wait
The source saysThey are formidable ambush predators and spend most of their time sitting in wait.Note: vibe.reason, settle #450

Source
03

D'Cruze et al. 2022

D'Cruze et al. (2022). Python regius. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022: e.T177562A220378972.

The page saysNear Threatened
The source saysIUCN Red List category: Near Threatened (NT).
The page saysThe IUCN lists the species as Near Threatened
The source saysIUCN Red List category: Near Threatened (NT).

Source
04

D'Cruze et al. 2020

D'Cruze et al. (2020). Searching for snakes: ball python hunting in southern Togo, West Africa. Nature Conservation.

The page saysA 2020 study called the ball python the single most exported live species from Africa among those listed under CITES
The source saysThe ball python (Python regius) is the single most exported live CITES-listed species from AfricaNote: 2020 is the paper's publication year (Nature Conservation 38, 2020); dated to the paper because a trade ranking is a current state. 'the international treaty that controls wildlife trade' is a definition of CITES and states nothing about the ball python.

Source
05

McCue 2007

McCue (2007). Snakes survive starvation by employing supply- and demand-side economic strategies. Zoology.

The page sayssurvived 168 days without food in a lab study
The source saysthe present study examined physiological, compositional, and morphological responses to 168 days of starvation among three distantly related snake species (i.e., ball python, Python regius; ratsnake, Elaphe obsoleta; and western diamondback rattlesnake, Crotalus atrox). Results revealed that each of these species was able to successfully tolerate starvation
The page saysIn a lab study, ball pythons, ratsnakes and western diamondback rattlesnakes all got through 168 days without food
The source saysthe present study examined physiological, compositional, and morphological responses to 168 days of starvation among three distantly related snake species (i.e., ball python, Python regius; ratsnake, Elaphe obsoleta; and western diamondback rattlesnake, Crotalus atrox). Results revealed that each of these species was able to successfully tolerate starvation
The page saysThe snakes cut their resting energy needs by up to 72 percent
The source saysEffective demand-side strategies included the ability of snakes to depress their resting metabolic demands by up to 72%.Note: Stated for the snakes as a group, as the abstract does, not for the ball python alone.
The page saysthey saved their body protein while burning fat
The source sayssupply-side regulation of resources was evidenced by the ability of snakes to spare their structurally critical protein stores at the expense of lipid catabolism

Source
06

Starck et al. 2022

Starck et al. (2022). Malformations of the sacculus and the semicircular canals in spider morph pythons. PLOS ONE.

The page saysIn one study, all four spider morph pythons showed "wobble syndrome": twisting movements of the head, impaired movement, and trouble striking or constricting prey
The source saysAll spider morph snakes showed the wobble condition (i.e., twisting movements of the head, impaired locomotion, difficulty striking or constricting prey items).
The page saysall four spider morph pythons
The source saysWe studied Python regius (Shaw, 1802) wildtype (N = 5) and spider morphs (N = 4).Note: 'All spider morph snakes showed the wobble condition' plus the study's sample of four spider morphs (N = 4).
The page saysThe researchers concluded that the wobble in those four snakes is caused by a malformed inner ear
The source saysThe conclusion is straightforward that the observed wobble syndrome in those four snakes is caused by the deviant morphology of their inner ear.
The page saysthe malformations suggest their sense of balance does not work properly
The source sayssuggest that the sense of equilibrium does not function properly in individuals with such deviant inner ear morphology
The page saysOne of them, the spider morph, comes at a cost
The source saysAll spider morph snakes showed the wobble conditionNote: 'Cost' is the wobble condition described in the next sentence; the spider morph as a colour-pattern morph is the paper's 'striking alterations of the skin color pattern'.

Source
07

Di Ianni et al. 2023

Di Ianni et al. (2023). Demonstration of Parthenogenetic Reproduction in a Pet Ball Python (Python regius) through Analysis of Early-Stage Embryos. Genes.

The page saysA generally calm python
The source saysTheir generally calm temperament enhances their appeal as a sought-after pet choice.Note: A background line in the paper's discussion, citing a husbandry survey.
The page saysA female can sometimes manage without a male
The source saysThis study can be considered the fourth report of facultative parthenogenesis (FP) in a captive-bred female ball python
The page saysA 10-year-old pet ball python with no prior contact with a male laid four eggs
The source saysA 10-year-old, wild-caught female ball python ( Python regius ) laid four eggs without any prior contact with a male.Note: 'Pet' from the paper's title: 'Parthenogenetic Reproduction in a Pet Ball Python'.
The page saysgenetic tests showed that the three embryos inside came from her alone, a process called parthenogenesis
The source saysThe captive history data, together with the genetic microsatellite analysis approach, demonstrated the parthenogenetic origin of all three embryos.
The page saysThe researchers counted it as the fourth such report in a captive female ball python
The source saysThis study can be considered the fourth report of facultative parthenogenesis (FP) in a captive-bred female ball python
The page saysYes, it has been recorded
The source saysThis study can be considered the fourth report of facultative parthenogenesis (FP) in a captive-bred female ball python
The page saysA 10-year-old pet female with no prior contact with a male laid four eggs, and genetic tests showed that the three embryos inside came from her alone, a process called parthenogenesis
The source saysA 10-year-old, wild-caught female ball python ( Python regius ) laid four eggs without any prior contact with a male.
The page saysThe researchers counted it as the fourth report of this in a captive female ball python
The source saysThis study can be considered the fourth report of facultative parthenogenesis (FP) in a captive-bred female ball python

How the table was made: a writer drafted the profile from these sources and logged each claim with its quote, a reviewer with nothing but this table checked every sentence said no more than its quote, and a script confirmed each quote appears word for word in the source. The method is in the site'sAbout page.