Editing Snake (section)

=== Feeding and diet ===
[[File:Eierschlange frisst Zwergwachtelei.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Dasypeltis|African egg-eating snake]] eating an egg]][[File:PikiWiki Israel 37648 Nature and Colors.jpg|thumb|upright|''[[Dolichophis jugularis]]'' preying on a [[sheltopusik]] ]]
[[File:Eastern Hognose Defense.jpg|thumb|[[Eastern hognose snake|Eastern hognose]] hooding.]]
All snakes are [[hypercarnivore|strictly carnivorous]], [[Predation|preying]] on small animals including lizards, frogs, other snakes, small mammals, birds, eggs, fish, snails, worms, and insects.<ref name="Meh87" />{{Rp|81}}<ref name="Sanchez" />{{sfn|Behler|King|1979|p=581}} Snakes cannot bite or tear their food to pieces so must swallow their prey whole. The eating habits of a snake are largely influenced by body size; smaller snakes eat smaller prey. Juvenile pythons might start out feeding on lizards or mice and graduate to small deer or antelope as an adult, for example.{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}}

The snake's [[jaw]] is a complex structure. Contrary to the popular belief that snakes can dislocate their jaws, they have an extremely flexible [[mandible|lower jaw]], the two halves of which are not rigidly attached, and numerous other joints in the skull, which allow the snake to open its mouth wide enough to swallow prey whole, even if it is larger in diameter than the snake itself.{{sfn|Behler|King|1979|p=581}} For example, the [[Dasypeltis|African egg-eating snake]] has flexible jaws adapted for eating eggs much larger than the diameter of its head.<ref name="Meh87" />{{Rp|81}} This snake has no teeth, but does have bony protrusions on the inside edge of its [[Vertebral column|spine]], which it uses to break the shell when eating eggs.<ref name="Meh87" />{{Rp|81}}

The majority of snakes eat a variety of prey animals, but there is some specialization in certain species. [[King cobra]]s and the Australian [[Vermicella annulata|bandy-bandy]] consume other snakes. Species of the family [[Pareidae]] have more teeth on the right side of their mouths than on the left, as they mostly prey on snails and the shells usually spiral clockwise.<ref name="Meh87" />{{Rp|184}}<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Hoso M, Asami T, Hori M |title=Right-handed snakes: convergent evolution of asymmetry for functional specialization |journal=[[Biology Letters]] |volume=3 |issue=2 |pages=169–72 |date=April 2007 |pmid=17307721 |pmc=2375934 |doi=10.1098/rsbl.2006.0600}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Pyron RA, Burbrink FT, Wiens JJ |title=A phylogeny and revised classification of Squamata, including 4161 species of lizards and snakes |journal=[[BMC Evolutionary Biology]] |volume=13 |pages=93 |date=April 2013 |issue=1 |pmid=23627680 |pmc=3682911 |doi=10.1186/1471-2148-13-93 |bibcode=2013BMCEE..13...93P |doi-access=free }}</ref>

Some snakes have a venomous bite, which they use to kill their prey before eating it.{{sfn|Behler|King|1979|p=581}}{{sfn|Freiberg|Walls|1984|pp=125–127}} Other snakes kill their prey by [[constriction]],{{sfn|Behler|King|1979|p=581}} while some swallow their prey when it is still alive.<ref name="Meh87" />{{Rp|81}}{{sfn|Behler|King|1979|p=581}}

After eating, snakes become dormant to allow the process of [[digestion]] to take place;<ref name="Rosenfeld_11"/> this is an intense activity, especially after consumption of large prey. In species that feed only sporadically, the entire [[intestine]] enters a reduced state between meals to conserve energy. The digestive system is then 'up-regulated' to full capacity within 48&nbsp;hours of prey consumption. Being [[ectothermic]] ("cold-blooded"), the surrounding temperature plays an important role in the digestion process. The ideal temperature for snakes to digest food is {{convert|30|°C|°F}}. There is a huge amount of [[metabolism|metabolic]] energy involved in a snake's digestion, for example the surface body temperature of the South American rattlesnake (''[[Crotalus durissus]]'') increases by as much as {{convert|1.2|C-change|sigfig=2}} during the digestive process.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Tattersall GJ, Milsom WK, Abe AS, Brito SP, Andrade DV |title=The thermogenesis of digestion in rattlesnakes |journal=The Journal of Experimental Biology |volume=207 |issue=Pt 4 |pages=579–85 |date=February 2004 |pmid=14718501 |doi=10.1242/jeb.00790 |doi-access=free|bibcode=2004JExpB.207..579T }}</ref> If a snake is disturbed after having eaten recently, it will often [[vomiting|regurgitate]] its prey to be able to escape the perceived threat. When undisturbed, the digestive process is highly efficient; the snake's digestive [[enzymes]] dissolve and absorb everything but the prey's hair (or feathers) and claws, which are excreted along with [[uric acid|waste]].{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}}