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

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.

They look, move and even smell like the kind of furry Everglades marsh rabbit a Burmese python would love to eat.

After users identified the snake as a harmless ball python, the user placed the snake in a container before reuniting it with its owner, free of complications. Do ball pythons like to be cuddled?

Join Michael from The Reptile Zoo as he shares fun facts about ball pythons, including where they're from, their behavior, and what makes them unique!

Why raising pythons for food is a truly terrible idea Pythons are environmentally destructive, dangerous for farmers to be around, and subject to cruelty. Plants are a much better option.

11 Burmese pythons – including one more than 16 feet long – were found wound up together.

A team of trackers found 500 pounds of snake in a South Florida marsh last month, according to the Miami Herald.

A ball python, also called the royal python, is a less troublesome cousin to the Burmese, and has been eating its way through the Everglades for decades. Where are ball pythons native to?