What is a ball python snake? And why isn't this 'nice cousin' to the Burmese hunted in Florida? We explain the details.

What is a ball python? And why isn't this 'nice cousin' to the Burmese hunted during the Florida Python Challenge? We explain details here.

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.

The Burmese python is one of the largest snakes in the world. Adult snakes caught in Florida are between 6 and 9 feet on average, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Ball pythons are non-venomous, instead killing their prey using their long bodies to constrict the victim until it dies. Zolta the ball python coiled up into a ball.

If a human ate 50 percent of their weight in one sitting, their body might not take it. Their stomach would expand, and their heart would begin trying to furiously pump blood to sustain the metabolism ...

Python on the loose A couple in Kirkwood is trying to tempt a snake. They found what they believe is an adult ball python slithering through their front yard. FOX 5's Christopher King has the story.

The ball python was discovered near the student dropoff/pickup area at Dauphin County Technical School this morning, police said.

Snakes are totally fascinating with varieties of sizes, colors, and temperaments. Some species appear to cause fear and ...

A brave North Carolina police officer removed a ball python that had found it's way into a man's Subaru and had "hitched a ride" in the grille of the vehicle.

A family in Cleveland, Australia, called in a professional snake catcher to remove the reptile Kelli Bender is the Pets Editor at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2013. Her work has ...