Royal Python

One of the smallest pythons, whose length rarely exceeds 1.5 m. The Royal python is also called a spherical python, because in case of danger it curls into a tight ball, hiding its head inside the body rings.
It is distributed in West and Central Africa. It inhabits equatorial forests and savannas. Mostly a nocturnal animal. He spends the day in shelters (holes, hollows, fallen leaves), and at night or at dusk he goes hunting. Swims well and willingly enters the water. Can climb trees.
The color of the royal python fully justifies its pretentious name. The iridescence of black and golden scales creates a truly aristocratic coloring of these snakes, and on the python's head there is a golden-yellow triangle, which is called its crown.
The diet of royal pythons in the wild consists mainly of small mammals. Sometimes  eats birds.
Females are usually slightly larger than males. They lay from 3 to 11 (usually 4-6) eggs, curl up around the clutch and "incubate" it for 2-3 months. Young snakes reach sexual maturity at 3 years old. Life expectancy in captivity is up to 20-30 years.