How do snakes swallow large prey?

Small snakes tend to eat small prey such as lizards, which do not present the with any problem. Large snakes however, find it more efficient to take large prey and they must have a way of eating and digesting them.

To achieve this they are able to drop their lower jaw at the back as well as the front. The lower jaw also stretches sideways as it is joined at the front by a very elastic muscle.  This means not only can it stretch its mouth wider horizontally but it can also work one side of its jaw forward independently of the other side.

The snake can literally 'walk' its mouth over over the pray using its teeth to anchor and pull forward. Also, a snakes skin is very flexible, allowing i to eat animals that have a larger diameter than itself.

There are other adaptations to help snakes eat large prey. Firstly,

• Their brain in encased in bone; this protects it from any kicks of its prey while struggling to escape.  
• Snakes have a tube in the throat called the 'Glottis'; which is able to protect forward beyond the lower jaw so the snake can breathe while eating, 

The advantage of being able to eat large food items is that you do not have to eat as often. Snakes can go for many months without eating and it is probable that large snakes eat only a few meals during a year. It is more efficient to catch and eat larger prey rather than spending lots of energy chasing smaller animals.

How do snakes eat and digest food?

All snakes are carnivorous; meaning that they eat other animals. They do not eat vegetable matter and generally they catch and eat living prey, although instances have been recorded of snakes eating road-killed animals.

Because most cannot dismember their food they must eat it whole, so the select prey that can be swallowed easily or they have adaptations to cope with large prey. In some species the oung and adults eat the same but different sized prey.

In other species, there is a shift as the snake grows. For example, hatching carpet pythons eat small skinks but the adults eat rabbit, rats, possums bandicoots and even wallabies.

Digesting their food

This is where venomous snakes have an advantage over the non-venomous ones because the venom they have helps break down the tissue of the prey and also speeds up digestion. Whether venomous or not, snakes still have to keep their body temperature up to aid digestion.

If they are too cool, digestion is slowed down and there is a possibility that the prey will rot in the snakes stomach and kill it. That is why when a snake has eaten large prey it will often bask in the sun for extended periods.