Incredible snake mouth Tiger pythons can swallow 60 kilograms of deer in one go

There are numerous pictures and videos circulating of pythons struggling to devour prey that appear far too large. What is the maximum possible? Researchers quote figures.

Certain tiger pythons can probably devour even larger prey than previously assumed. The largest specimens could open their mouths wider than previously assumed according to mathematical models, reports a research team in the journal "Reptiles & Amphibians".

They are probably capable of swallowing deer weighing almost 60 kilograms or alligators weighing a good 95 kilograms whole.

Tiger pythons kill their prey with enormous strength by wrapping around it and suffocating it before swallowing it whole. Time and again, pictures or videos show dark tiger pythons devouring surprisingly large animals such as deer or alligators. The constrictor snakes have an extremely flexible jaw joint: the lower jaw bones are only connected by elastic ligaments so that they can separate when swallowing.

Open your mouth for science

The team led by Bruce Jayne from the University of Cincinnati has now measured three 4.5 to 5.8 meter long animals of the species that were caught in and around the Everglades National Park in the USA. The researchers report that the mouth of the largest snake could be opened 26 centimeters wide. Previously, the maximum recorded was 22 centimetres.

It doesn't sound like such a big difference, but the entire opening of the mouth is a whopping 40 percent larger. The largest members of the species can have a mouth with a diameter of around 30 centimetres, as the researchers assume.

The researchers observed how the smallest of the three specimens studied devoured a 35-kilogram white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) - which corresponded to two thirds of the snake's weight. Observing something like this is unforgettable, said one of the researchers involved.

Consequences for the animals in the region

Knowing the potential size of the prey helps researchers to predict the ecological impact of the snake species, which is spreading invasively in the USA. What still needs to be clarified, however, is how often large snakes attack and kill large prey, but then do not eat them because they are too big to swallow.

The pythons with the technical name Python bivittatus are among the largest snakes in the world with a length of - in rare cases - over six meters. Originally native to the rainforests of Southeast Asia, the species has become extremely widespread in the Everglades in Florida thanks to animals released from private farms.

Endangered in Asia, a serious plague in the USA

According to official estimates, hundreds of thousands of pythons now live there and threaten the native fauna. Hunters receive cash rewards for the animals they kill. In their native habitat, however, things are not going well for the snakes; the species is therefore listed as endangered on the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Pythons can weigh up to 100 kilograms. Females become sexually mature at around three years of age and can produce up to 100 eggs a year for 20 years or more. Depending on their size, snakes can take several hours to devour a prey animal. They can feed on large prey for several weeks to months without starving.

SDA