What do Snakes Eat? Snakes are creatures with a unique body physiology and movements. They have captivated a lot of wildlife enthusiast who have been curious to know more about their dietary habits. Let’s find out more about their dietary needs.
What do Snakes Eat?
Snakes are creatures which are naturally long and comes in various colors and attributes. Let’s find out about their diet below.
Types of Snakes and Their Diets
Each type of snake has its unique feeding habits and diet. Let’s find out below:
1. Carnivores by Nature
Snakes are well known to be carnivores so they consume other animals in the wild. Its diet is influenced by several factors which includes its size, species and habitat.
Some snakes are broader in their diet while others have specialized feeding habits.
2. Rodents
Many snake species love to consume rodents. This includes rats, mice and even some smaller mammals which constitute the diet of various snakes. Snakes that prefer rodents includes, boas and pythons.
3. Birds and Eggs
They are snakes that are known as arboreal snakes and what this means is that they spend most of their time in trees and they often prey on birds and their eggs.
They climb very fast and this makes them reach faster for eggs or small chicks that stay in the nest on trees.
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4. Amphibians and Reptiles
There are snakes that consume diets that includes reptiles and some amphibians. This kind of snakes may consume lizards, frogs and even some smaller snakes. For example, King snakes can eat other snakes including the ones that are venomous.
5. Insects and Invertebrates
There are smaller snake species like the garter snakes that feed on just insects and invertebrates. This kind of diet gives them the nutrient they need to survive.
Feeding Mechanisms
There are several feeding mechanisms of different species of snakes. They include:
1. Constrictors
Pythons and boas which are constrictor snakes are well known for their method of killing their prey.
They make use of their powerful bodies to wrap their prey and constrict it until their prey can no longer breathe. Then it swallows the prey whole.
2. Venomous Snakes
Cobras and vipers are known as venomous snakes and they inject their venom into their prey through some specialized fangs. The venom from the snake helps to make the prey weak or kill it, making consumption easy.
3. Swallowing Whole
Snakes are very popular for their ability to swallow their prey whole. This is made possible by their flexible jaws.
Their lower jaw is not connected to the upper jaw and this makes it easy for them to swallow prey that are larger than their head.
Frequency of Feeding
The feeding frequency of snake varies due to some factors like age, species and the conditions of the environment.
Snakes feed from once a week to once a month and this depends on the size of the last prey they consumed and their metabolic rate.