This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here. Snakes as pets tend to attract a certain kind of owner. Maybe it’s the quiet. Maybe it’s the fact that they don’t ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write about biodiversity and the hidden quirks of the natural world. More than 4,200 species of snakes exist on the planet and ...

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

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. Ball pythons are native to west sub Saharan ...