Snakes: No Ears, Eyelids, or Legs
Huge Snakes
Burmese Python
Python bivittatus (8-feet long)
My name is “June” because I met Randy in June of 2020. Though I am only three-and-a-half years old, I am eight-feet long, and I can grow to be nineteen-feet long! (I am not the best pet due to my quick growth rate.) My relatives are causing quite a disturbance in Florida. Ask Party Safari Staff to explain why.
Argentinian Boa
Boa constrictor sp. (7-feet long)
My name is “Fuerte” which is Spanish for “strong.” I am in the Boa Family, which means I am very different from members of the Python Family, though we are both constricting snakes. Our Party Safari staff can explain how you can differentiate between us every time.
I am much darker than my Colombian red-tail boa cousin below. Isn’t it amazing how geography can affect biodiversity? But just because we look different, doesn’t necessarily mean we are. It is hard for scientists to classify us boas as different species (even harder for Randy) so we are simply labeled Boa constrictor sp. because that is all Randy is sure of.
Large Snakes
Colombian Red-Tail Boa
Boa constrictor sp. (6-feet long)
My name is “Carmen Roja Abrazos” and I was named by Cleo Odeen’s class, Tyler Keupen, and Fr. Ben Green in 2021. I have a birth deformity that looks like sagging jowls under my neck. This mutation might help me eat larger prey items…maybe even it could be considered an advantage and sweep throughout a population of my species in the wild; however, we will never know because I am in captivity. Even so, I am a very beautiful snake with reddish-orange hues different from my darker boa relative above.
Carpet Python
Morelia sp. (7-feet long)
My name is “Aussie” because my relatives are from Australia. I am long, though not nearly as thick as the snake above me. I love to be in the branches of trees, and our Party Safari staff will show you how to make me feel comfortable.
Boa Imperator
Boa constrictor imperator (5-feet)
My name is “Oscar” after Oscar The Grouch from Sesame Street. I used to be grumpy, but Randy thinks I was really just hungry. He feeds all of us snakes so we are calm and satiated, rather than angry and agitated. We might be a bit overweight, but he thinks our calm temperaments are well-worth it.
Medium Snakes
Green Tree Python
Morelia viridis (4-feet long)
My name is “Skittles” because I have these beautiful blue and yellow spots on my body. Sometimes I use my tail to lure prey into my arboreal hiding spots by wiggling it back and forth. Then they get the Skittle Kiss as I squeeze and swallow them whole! My relatives are from Papua New Guinea, the islands around New Guinea, and parts of Australia. I am like “Aussie,” I also love to be in the branches of trees, and our Party Safari staff will show you how to make me feel comfortable.
Ball Pythons (normal and fire morphs)
Python regius (4-feet long)
My name is “Skell” and I’m a member of one of the smallest python species in the world. As you can see, we are quite stunning. I’m a normal morph (something you would find in the wild in Africa), but Randy says my wife below looks like she’s got a little “fire” in her (snake nerds like to name our genetic mutations) so he calls her “Blaze”. We are both beautiful, and if you look closely, you can see tiny skulls in our patterning. Remember to ask Randy about our pelvic spurs if you choose one of us for a presentation. It’s always cool to see remnants from our ancestors’ back legs!
Ball Pythons (pastel and albino morphs)
Python regius (3-feet long)
My name is “TJ” and I am the most cautious snake at Party Safari. (Ball pythons get their name because they coil up in balls when they are nervous.) It’s a good adaptation, us hiding our heads so we don’t get bit where it matters most! After a few seconds, I will probably peak my head out to see if everything is safe. Then I will sit quietly in your hands while you admire my beautiful pastel patterning.
My name is “Brittany” after that Brittany Spears’ song parents tell Randy about. Randy says I am the sweetest little snake at Party Safari, but I do enjoy wedging myself into tight places. (He has a hard time getting me out of my hides when he’s trying to teach kids.) I’m albino, which means I do not make the dark black pigments common to our wild African relatives (that’s why I’m yellow and white). My eyes are red because you are actually seeing the blood capillaries in them. Albinos don’t last long in the wild. Can you guess why?
Don’t tell the others, but I’m probably Randy’s favorite snake. My name is “Queen Frostine” and I am the newest ball python to Party Safari. I am a “pied” morph which means my brown patterning is only expressed in blotches across my body. Randy has always admired pied ball pythons, and now he has one! The only thing is, I have bitten him multiple times. I’m just not ready to be held by guests, yet… I’m sure I will get over it as I get larger. Right now I am less than one-foot long.
Corn Snake (red/orange morph)
Pantherophis guttatus (4-feet long)
My name is “Luke” and I am a large corn snake. I am popular in the pet trade because I have a really calm demeanor. If you are a little nervous about snakes, I would be a great representative at your presentation so you could see how awesome snakes truly are. For example, my wild ancestors live in the southeastern United States but they do not eat corn, they eat the mice and rats that eat corn. See, snakes are good for humans!
My name is “Hannah” after one of Party Safari’s helpers. I am a beautiful corn snake that has what seems to be an albino morph. Randy is not sure what other morph I might be, so please let him know if you are an expert!
Bullsnake
Pituophis catenifer (3-feet long)
My name is “Confusion” because people often confuse my species with rattlesnakes. Let our Party Safari staff teach you how to differentiate between venomous and non-venomous snakes, and how to react when you do find a rattlesnake in your vicinity. (Don’t worry, through education you can really limit a potentially upsetting situation.)
King Snakes (four species)
Mexican Variable King Snake
Lampropeltis mexicana thayeri (2-feet long)
I am a beautiful king snake known to have four different color variations in the wild! Some individuals of my same species look like the milk snake below me, some are red and orange like the corn snake above me, and some are all black! I am buckskin with orange saddles.
Some of my king snake relatives eat other snakes, that’s why they are the king of snakes! Some can even eat rattlesnakes without being affected by the venom. (Don’t worry, Randy loves snakes and feeds us mice.)
Milk Snake
Lampropeltis triangulum campbelli (2-feet long)
I am in the king snake family, but was called “milk snake” because farmers thought I was drinking milk from their cows in the barns when I was really just eating the mice! I look a lot like a venomous coral snake found in North America, but I am not venomous. What’s cool is that red is a color found only on snakes in North, South, and Central America. Old World snakes did not develop the color-warning strategy for survival. I am really fast and Randy might only let you touch me so I don’t get away.
Brooks King Snake
Lampropeltis getula brooksi (2-feet long)
I am a beautiful king snake from Florida. Someday, I will get up to six-feet long. I follow all of the same tendencies as my king snake relatives. Randy just really likes king snake biodiversity.
Gray-Banded King Snake
Lampropeltis alterna (2-feet long)
My name used to be “Craig” but then one of my eyes got huge…so my nickname is “Popeye!” I am another stunning king snake at Party Safari, but my native range is in New Mexico, Texas, and Mexico.
We are all fairly secretive animals and we like to hide our beautiful skin under rocks for the majority of the day. Randy didn’t know how much he likes king snakes until he realized that he has four different species! Please let him know if you would like to see one of us at a presentation.
Education through experience! Face your fears!
