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.

The snake, which was named Zolta by the team, was found to be a ball python. These reptiles, also called royal pythons, are native to west and central sub-Saharan Africa.

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?