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Overindulgence!
Ever had that nasty feeling that you’ve simply eaten too
much? Maybe you have suffered from embarrassing
indigestion, or perhaps you have even been so full that
you feel you just can’t move!
Snakes – in particular pythons and boas – are renowned
for swallowing large prey items. Their lower jaws are not
rigidly attached to the skull and, unlike mammals, are not
comprised entirely of bone, being interrupted by an
elastic ligament in front. This arrangement introduces
great flexibility and range of movement. Nevertheless,
snakes are quite capable of ‘biting off more than they can
chew’ (figuratively speaking)....
In May 2017, a Chinese farmer in Ximeixiang, Fujian
Province, was searching for a missing goat when he came
upon a large python entangled in a mesh fence. It had
become trapped whilst attempting to consume the goat,
which was lying dead under the huge snake. Incredibly,
pythons have the same level of protection in China as
Giant Pandas. The farmer contacted forestry police, who
were quickly on the scene to extricate the snake from the
fence. It was found to measure 3.4 metres in length, with
a diameter of 36 centimetres and a weight of 21.5 kilo-
grams. The python was estimated to have been trapped in
the fence for more than ten hours. After receiving treat-
ment for its wounds, it was later released.
Naturalised Burmese Pythons have long been a concern
in Florida’s Everglades, and in 2015 researchers from the
Conservancy of Southwest Florida were presented with a
graphic example of the destructive capacity of these
animals to take down large prey.
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A 3.3-metre female python was initially discovered and
captured in a bloated and obviously stressed condition.
Her eyes were obviously too big for her stomach, be-
cause later, to the amazement of astonished onlookers,
she proceeded to regurgitate a young White-tailed Deer.
In what has been touted as the most extreme python-to-
prey ratio ever documented, the fawn weighed in at
15.88kg versus the python’s 14.29kg, meaning that prey
constituted 111.1% of the weight of predator!
Incidentally, the Conservancy of Southwest Florida was
created in 1964 when a group of concerned citizens mo-
bilized to thwart plans for a new road through Rookery
Bay. Now active across five counties, the Conservancy
works to protect Florida’s natural environment by utilis-
ing the combined forces of environmental policy, advo-
cacy, research, education and wildlife rehabilitation. For
more information visit: https://www.conservancy.org/
The dangers of gluttony led to its inclusion amongst the
‘seven deadly sins’; it would seem to be equally hazard-
ous for snakes as well.
For more, including photos and videos, visit:
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4507068/Python-
trying-swallow-goat-stuck-metal-grille.html
https://au.news.yahoo.com/a/39390363/massive-snake-
regurgitates-deer-in-florida/
Below: incredibly, this female Burmese Python weighed
less than the young White-tailed Deer that she consumed.
Image: the Conservancy of Southwest Florida.