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Scientific name: Python regius
Size/weight/height
Length: 3 - 4' smallest of African pythons
Behavior
Defense: coils in tight ball (hence name) with head tucked between coils - this is an avoidance technique (protects the head)
Dry Months: may aestivate in mammal burrows or other underground areas
Reproduction/life span
Breeding: rare in captivity
Incubation: females coil around for ~3 mos. (until hatching)
Eggs: 6 - 7 (unusually large eggs; clutches small) • often laid in abandoned burrow
Diet
Wild: small mammals
Zoo: mice & rats
Habitat/range: Grasslands • West Africa, Sierra Leone, Togo & Senegal
Status
CITES App II • habitat loss, pet & skin trade • pet trade has high mortality due to sudden change in diet & environment
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www.washingtonparkzoo.com
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