They discover that certain pythons can swallow larger prey than believed

Scientists have discovered that the largest pythons have an even larger mouth than mathematical models would suggest. That means those snakes, known as Burmese pythons, can devour even larger prey than previously thought.

The discovery is the work of a team led by Bruce Jayne, from the University of Cincinnati in the United States.

What was discovered in this study implies that more animals are on the menu for these snakes. In the case of snakes of that kind present in South Florida, where they are an invasive species, it is known that they have already decimated populations of foxes, bobcats, raccoons and other animals, and it is now obvious that the list of animals in the Menu should actually be more extensive.

Pythons swallow deer, alligators, and other prey whole. What they eat is limited in part by the size of the animal they can wrap around with their flexible, elastic jaws. The prey size limit is determined by the maximum opening of the snake’s mouth.

The mouth of pythons, which allows them to eat such large animals, is extraordinary. The lower jaw is not fused in the front, which allows them to stretch their mouth greatly. In addition, its skin is so soft and elastic that it takes up more than half the circumference of its mouth. All of this allows these pythons to devour prey six times larger than those of maximum body size eaten by other species of snakes of similar size to the Burmese python.

Jayne examined three of the largest snakes captured by researchers Ian Easterling and Ian Bartoszek in southwest Florida, measuring 4, 5 and 6 meters long.

Previously, researchers had examined pythons with a mouth diameter of 22 centimeters. But the largest of the snakes Jayne’s research colleagues captured had a maximum opening of 26 centimeters.

It doesn’t look like much, just 18% bigger. But the total area of ​​the opening increased by 40%. The largest snakes have a mouth circumference of more than 81 centimeters.

This means that these snakes can devour much larger prey than previously believed. From the prey that researchers found inside Burmese pythons, they know that they kill and devour animals almost too large to swallow. Researchers watched a snake swallow a 35-kilogram deer, which represented two-thirds of the snake’s total mass.

Bruce Jayne poses with two Burmese python specimens captured in Florida to show, taking a human head as a reference, the impressive opening of their mouths. The specimen on the left has a mouth of 26 centimeters, while the mouth of the snake on the right reaches “only” 22 centimeters. (Photo: Bruce Jayne)

Knowing the size limits of prey that can be eaten by predators can help researchers predict the ecological impact invasive snakes could have when they move into new areas.

Burmese pythons are native to the rainforests of Southeast Asia. They were introduced into Florida forests through the pet trade. Some snakes escaped and others were intentionally released by irresponsible owners.

The study is titled “Big pythons, big gape, and big prey.” And it has been published in the academic journal Reptiles & Amphibians. (Fountain: NCYT by Amazings)