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Feeding

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Snakes of Italy

Part of the book series: SpringerBriefs in Animal Sciences ((BRIEFSANIMAL))

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Abstract

Snakes are solely carnivorous, and though most feed on small mammals and lizards, there are also interesting exceptions. The act of predation is unique in snakes. Being devoid of limbs, they must capture, kill and swallow their prey with the sole assistance of their teeth and their coils. Numerous adaptations such as the quadrate bone and hemimandibles allow snakes to swallow prey that is quite voluminous.

Like frogs churning a pond as they scatter from a snake and try to hide in the depths.

(Inferno, D. Alighieri)

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References

  • Hardy DL (1994) A re-evaluation of suffocation as the cause of death during constriction by snakes. Herpetol Rev 25:45–47

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  • Skoczylas R (1970) Influence of temperature on gastric digestion in the grass snake, Natrix natrix L. Comp Biochem Physiol 33(4):793–796

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Correspondence to Gabriele Achille .

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Achille, G. (2015). Feeding. In: Snakes of Italy. SpringerBriefs in Animal Sciences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-14106-0_5

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