Biologists from the University of Cincinnati wanted to test how much Burmese pythons (Python
Using a series of 3D-printed plastic probes of different sizes, the scientists tested the capabilities of different individual pythons.They measured the maximum distance each animal could open its mouth.It turned out that the diameter of the largest probe is 22 cm.Only one snake was able to stretch its throat wide enough to accommodate the giant probe: a python weighing approximately 59 kg and 4.3 m long.
It is a common misconception that snakes can dislocate or unclench their jaws to swallow prey.In fact, an elastic piece of connective tissue stretches from the braincase of the snake, or skull, to the lower jaw.This is what allows the animal to eat a victim of gigantic size.
A comparison of the brown tree snake with the Burmese python, showing the upper limit of the size of what each specimenImage courtesy of Bruce Jane
"Snakes don't dislocate their joints at all when they swallow their prey," Bruce Jane, lead authorresearch, biologist and professor at the University of Cincinnati.—But the joints they have between the bones are extremely mobile.Unlike human jaws, which consist of a single part, snakes have a single partAnd in between are the connective tissues, the skin and the muscles."
All these parts are connected together to form a highly mobile mechanism that allowsnon-venomous pythons to open their mouths wide and swallow their prey.In the grip of a snake, the twisting predator wraps its long body around its prey to narrow blood flow before swallowing it.Regardless of whether the victim is dead or still breathing.
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