Description
English: Female ball python (Python regius) brooding a clutch of eggs.
Author WingedWolfPsion https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:WingedWolfPsion
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BallPythonWithClutch.jpg

The ball python (Python regius), also known as the royal python, is a python species found in sub-Saharan Africa. Like all other pythons, it is a non-venomous constrictor. This is the smallest of the African pythons and is popular in the pet trade, largely due to its small size and typically docile temperament. They can live quite long, with the oldest on record living more than 47 years. The name "ball python" refers to the animal's tendency to curl into a ball when stressed or frightened. The name "royal python"(from the Latin regius) comes from the fact that rulers in Africa would wear the python as jewelry. Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Pythonidae, Genus: Python, Species: Python regius (Shaw, 1802).
Synonyms:
Boa regia Shaw, 1802
Enygrus regi'us - Wagler, 1830
Cenchris regia - Gray, 1831
Python Bellii Gray, 1842
Python regius - A.M.C. Duméril & Bibron, 1844
Hortulia regia - Gray, 1849
Python regius - Boulenger, 1893