Royal Python natural history

Royal Python natural history

Royalty in the wild

With their common name being derived from the latin Regius, Royal pythons have become the most popular pet snake in captivity today. Due to their relaxed temperament, small size, and availability, they are relatively inexpensive to house and feed; they’re also very handleable. But where does this beautiful snake come from? How big does it get? What does it eat? We will attempt to answer all this and more…

• Physical Characteristics, Geographic Range and Natural Environment
Royal pythons (Python regius) are classed as a small to medium sized python originating from sub-Saharan West Africa from Senegal, Cot D’lvoire, Ghana, Chad, Sudan, Togo, Cameroon and Uganda up to the river Nile where it creates a geographic border for the species.
Royal pythons will inhabit grasslands and open forests; they are often found by bodies of water where they can submerge themselves during the hottest parts of the day. Royal pythons are a cathemeral species; they can be found active at any point in the day. Some prefer dusk and dawn, some will show nocturnal behaviour, others will bask during the day.
Males and females can show signs of sexual dimorphism once they are of adult age, though this can be incredibly difficult to see. Both will attain the same maximum length: anything from 4-6 feet; on average females are larger bodied and heavier. Females can reach 3-4 kilograms in weight, while males will max out at 1-2 kilograms. As a result, males are considered semi arboreal—as they will climb to hunt birds and search for nests in the trees. Royal pythons are constrictors (family Pythonidae) and kill their prey by constriction. It was originally believed that constrictors killed their prey by crushing it to death—breaking bones and rupturing internal organs; then it was speculated that constrictors killed by strangulation—preventing their prey from breathing in; now is believed that constrictors squeeze their prey—exerting so much pressure so as to stop circulation and over pressurising the brain, interrupting neural functions. They can also detect their prey’s heartbeat through their ventral scales (belly scales) and know when it is time to release their hold and begin their meal.
Royal pythons are ambush predators—waiting for an unsuspecting meal to walk by before striking. Thanks to their natural colouration and patterning: browns, tans, black and patches of dark yellow–reminiscent of leaf litter and mulch—royal pythons can almost disappear in plain sight in the right environment. They have evolved heat pits along their upper ‘lips’ that can detect changes in temperature to 0.1°C, enabling the snake to hunt in complete darkness and improves accuracy of the initial strike. In the wild, royal pythons will hunt any warm bodied animal or bird, so their diet can include but is not limited to:
– Mice
– Rats
– Multimammates (African soft furred rat)
– Gerbils
– Birds
– Lizards
A royal python’s method of feeding is the same as most snake species. They have elasticated ligaments connecting their jaws and their lower mandibles and are not fixed as they are in mammals. At the front, each mandible is attached by a stretchy ligament. This allows the mandibles to spread apart laterally, increasing the width of the mouth. The mandibles are loosely connected at the back of the skull—allowing for greater rotation. This is how snakes can open their mouths wider than their bodies and ingest such large meals. The mandibles move independently of each other—slowly moving the prey item to the back of the throat. Simultaneously, the snakes head “walks” forward in a side-to-side motion over the prey’s body, so as the food is pulled down the throat, the head moves over the top. Large royal pythons can have as many as 40 sharp hooked teeth separated into six rows, four on the top jaw and two on the bottom.
Most royal pythons, once they have eaten, will seek shelter underground in burrows or tunnels, where the temperature remains relatively constant to digest their meal. The size of the meal will dictate when the royal eats next. Large meals can take 10-14 days to digest, whereas smaller meals will take 3-7 days. As with all reptiles, royal pythons are ectothermic: they cannot generate their own heat and need to get their metabolic energy from external sources. This also means that they take a lot less food than a comparative sized mammal. Royal pythons possess cloacal spurs on either side of their vent—both males and females have them. In the males they are used to ‘tickle’ the females to instigate mating, they also play a role in gripping the female during copulation. These cloacal spurs are the vestigial remains of rear legs, there are also small leg and pelvic bones buried in muscle near the snake’s vent.

• Behaviours
Royal pythons exhibit various behaviours in captivity; these behaviours are exact mirrors of their wild behaviour. They are not as expressive as some species of lizard or amphibian, but you will be able to see the changes in behaviour as the animal matures. We will discuss these behaviours in detail:
– Balling up – royal pythons (or as they are known in the Americas: ball pythons) first line of defence is to coil around their heads in a ball shape. This is the sign of a scared or distressed snake. You must wait for the animal to uncoil itself before continuing to handle it. In the wild, the snake would protect its most vulnerable part of itself and wait for the opportunity to escape.
– Huffing or hissing – this normally comes before balling up or in extreme cases of an unhappy snake—a bite. This shows the animal is annoyed and wishes to be left alone. Threats like this are common with many species of snake; startle a potential predator so they can make their escape.
– Constantly active – this can be a sign of a hungry, stressed, or uncomfortable snake. It is your job as a keeper to discern what the problem is and resolve it for the health and happiness of the royal python. If the snake were in the wild it could easily remove itself from the situation—most likely retreating underground to hide.
– Shedding – royal pythons, like all snakes, will periodically shed their skin to aid in growth and to replace worn scales. The size, age and condition of the snake will dictate the frequency of the sheds. Younger animals will shed more often while growing (every 2-4 weeks) while older animals will shed less (every 6-12 months). Royal pythons will occasionally experience patchy or incomplete sheds which can be a sign of inconsistent feeding, inaccurate temperatures, or humidity. These problems are rarely seen in the wild as most shedding snakes will hide themselves away underground where it has a higher humidity.
– Biting – there may be occasions when a royal python will strike at you with open mouth. This can be a defensive response (not uncommon in hatchlings or youngsters) or a feeding response where the snake has mistaken your heat signature as an item of food. Both bites are quite different, if it is defensive, the snake will strike with an open mouth as a warning, retreating just as quickly as it struck. If it is a feeding strike, the snake will bite and hang on—usually constricting whatever part it has connected with. Running water or a drop of peppermint mouthwash will convince the python to let go.
– Tense or ‘jumpy’ – these two behaviours go hand in hand: first, the snake will tense up in your hands, you will feel the pythons’ muscles contracting as it grows more tense; this will then lead to jumpy and jerky movements if the snake is touched. Allow the snake time to settle down and relax, you will notice that once it has calmed it will begin tongue flicking and becoming more inquisitive of its surroundings.

The Best Pet Snake?
Royal pythons arrived in the pet trade during the 1980’s as wild caught, inexpensive exotic pets. Once they were being bred in captivity, the import of wild caught specimens dropped dramatically. During the last 20 years, due to the price of some of the morphs (colours, patterns, and scale texture) being produced by breeders around the world, the import of wild caught or captive farmed specimens has increased. The most expensive royal python morph ever sold was a lavender albino at $40,000 (£28,349).
They have since become mass produced to the point of being sold at $250 (£177) each. There are now over 6500 recognised morphs of royal python; the newer a morph, the rarer (and more expensive) it will be. Some morphs carry genetic weaknesses that can manifest in the animal as it grows, these include:
– Head wobbles
– Spinal kinks
– Infertility
– Bug eyes
– Duckbill
– Small eyes
Despite some of the snakes’ genetic problems, royal pythons are one of the most popular pet snakes in the world, making the top 5 “best first snake” lists and “best pet snake” lists by herpetologists. They make very good, if slightly challenging entry level snakes. They are easy to handle and manage in captivity and remain a relatively small size. As long as standards of husbandry and care remain high, royal pythons will live a long and comfortable life in excess of 25 years. These fascinating animals will no doubt inspire herpetoculturists worldwide for generations.

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