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Ball Python — Description

This adult Ball Python is preserved in a coiled position, illustrating the defensive behavior for which it is named: when threatened, the snake curls into a tight ball with its head protected in the center. The specimen clearly shows the species' distinctive "alien head" or "keyhole" dorsal patterns in shades of brown and tan against a pale background.
In a museum context, such fluid-preserved specimens are essential for studying herpetology (the study of reptiles), allowing researchers to examine scale patterns, muscular structure, and internal anatomy without the distortion that can occur in dry taxidermy.