To learn more about the effects that their feeding style has on their bodies, Leinwand and the team compared the hearts of ball pythons (Python regius). One group of pythons had fasted for 28 days.

Larger ball pythons typically eat larger mice or rats. Selecting prey for a ball python. As a general rule, you should select a rodent that is 1 to 1.25 times the size of the midsection of your snake.

The Conservancy of Southwest Florida removed a record amount of invasive Burmese pythons from the wilderness areas this year.

Pythons are famous for swallowing enormous meals whole—including morsels bigger than their own body mass. | To digest large, infrequent feasts, a python's heart works overtime by increasing ...

But because ball pythons in the wild eat relatively large meals and often go for extended periods without dining, they may not actually compete with one another much, Dr. Miller said.

But pythons can eat their whole body weight if Dr. Secor has enough rats on hand. In those cases, their metabolic rate can soar by 4,400 percent, the highest ever recorded for an animal.

However, the smaller ball pythons are usually only 4 feet long and about 7 pounds, sometimes seeing 6 feet at the largest per FWC. Where are their native habitats?