Snakes can’t really unhinge their jaws, but for some, that doesn’t get in the way of swallowing absurdly large prey.
For instance, Burmese pythons, like the invasive ones making their way north in Florida, have been known to consume 70-pound deer and 100-pound alligators.
But new research indicates that, relative to their size, the snakes that can gulp down the largest meals are harmless, three-foot-long egg eaters.
“This particular group of snakes may be No.
1 when it comes to big mouths in the snake kingdom,” said Bruce Jayne, a biology professor at the University of Cincinnati and the author of a paper on the subject published this month in the Journal of Zoology.
Persons:
doesn’t, ”, Bruce Jayne
Organizations:
University of Cincinnati, Zoology
Locations:
Florida