You Don't Need to Look Closely to See Why This Snake Is Internet-Famous

Have you ever looked at your pet and thought, "Cute, but not techy enough"? Hopefully not. But if for some reason you have, then you'll be extremely interested in this news from reptile expert Justin Kobylka, who has managed to create an emoji-patterned ball python after eight years of selective breeding.

Kobylka specializes in uniquely colored and patterned snakes, which he sells through his website. The emoji snake, a Lavender Albino Piebald ball python, shows several clearly visible smiley faces on its skin. There is plenty of valid criticism surrounding pet breeding for cosmetic purposes, but for the details of what this specific project entails, you'd have to take it up with the python breeder. Valued at more than $4K, we doubt a pet trend this time-consuming, controversial, and expensive will catch on widely, but it's certainly interesting to look at!