The Ball python is a small species with average adults being around 3-4.5’ Ball pythons predominantly come from a fairly narrow stretch of open forest/grassland type habitats of Western and West Central Africa bordered by the Sahara Desert to the north, the Gulf of Guinea and Congo Rainforest to the South. Ball pythons can be found in many countries throughout its range but most found in the trade came from Ghana, Togo, or Benin. This snake is a short but stocky species. The color and pattern varies quite a bit but typically they have a really dark brown or black base color with random light brown or gold patterned areas made up of splotches, stripes, spots or wide bands. The gold patterned areas can be pattern less but more typically they have several large black spots. Since the early 1990s many dramatic mutations have been found in the wild and were reproduced in captivity. These mutations caused a dramatic increase in interest from keepers of this once maligned species. Now the Ball python is by far the most common species of python kept in captivity.