Ball pythons, native to sub-Saharan Africa, are popular nonvenomous snakes known for their docile nature and distinct behavior of coiling into a ball when threatened. They play a vital role in ...

A ball python from Leinwand’s lab. CREDIT: Yuxiao Tan. Compared with the hearts of pythons who hadn’t eaten, the fed pythons increased their own mass by close to 25 percent after eating.