It’s like something from a movie.But Alberta Parks has issued a warning after a 1.5 metre-long ball python was spotted in Bow Valley Park over the weekend.The snake, which is not venomous, can still be a threat to wild animals and small pets, officials said.They also affect biodiversity and existing species.That’s because the vipers prey upon rodents or small rabbits, but there is a very slim chance it could eat a small dog. Alberta has its own native serpent species, the bullsnake, that can grow up to about 2.75 metres in length — almost 9 feet — much bigger than ball pythons..Ball pythons are common pets. That’s why observers said it’s quite likely that the serpent was somehow abandoned or escaped from its owner. Although it might thrive in the heat, it’s unlikely to survive the winter."We think of reptiles as being cold-blooded, which is true, they do need the environment to warm themselves up. But the flip side of that is that they can't overheat, so they also have to use the environment to keep their bodies cool enough as well," Sheri Monk, owner of Snakes on a Plain in Redcliff, told CBC. "Just like us, they have a temperature range — too hot is not good and too cold is not good."
