Snakes don’t kill by suffocation
In 1994, a rogue herpetologist challenged the dogma that constricting snakes kill by suffocation. He didn’t think it made sense. If suffocation were the mechanism, the prey would have died much more slowly —minutes rather than seconds. Instead, he thought the immense pressure from the snake’s contorted body sent its prey into cardiac arrest. It has taken 20 years, but researchers have finally proved him right.
Paper:
http://jeb.biologists.org/content/218/14/2279
Article:
http://news.sciencemag.org/biology/2015/07/surprise-snakes-don-t-kill-suffocation
#biodiversity #snakes #cardiacarrest
Can't we get a ripped of arm or something - you know, some people need their sleep to rest for the next day. Dreaming about snakes crawling out of their skin and giving me cardiac arrest doesn't help. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI just read about this somewhere...I think Nat Geo. My son got a ball python for his birthday and I find it totally intriguing. Cool post :)
ReplyDeleteSnake taking off a hoody?
ReplyDeleteAh, the elusive four-eyed snake caught during moulting.
ReplyDelete