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5O8 HUNTING AND DIET
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q2 Pythons mainly ambush prey, using their forked tongues to detect odors. The tongue flicks in and out to collect airborne chemicals and passes over a special smelling organ, called Jacobson’s organ, in the roof of the mouth. Like most snakes, pythons have relatively poor eyesight and limited hearing. They can sense some sounds and other vibrations through the ground. A special feature found in both pythons and boas is a group of heat-sensing organs in small pits along the upper lip that allow such snakes to “see” warm-blooded animals even in dark conditions. Small pythons commonly prey on lizards while larger types of pythons typically eat mammals, reptiles, and more rarely birds. Some pythons catch fish.
T0e<Slo~C p+w8$8) Pythons kill by constriction, using a powerful muscular body to squeeze a victim to death. It was once thought that pythons and other constricting snakes primarily killed by suffocating prey, gradually tightening their grip to prevent an animal from breathing. Recent research, however, shows that the enormous pressure created by the coils of such snakes can also stop circulation and even stop the heart, quickly cutting off the blood supply to the victim’s brain. In addition, the force of the coils can snap an animal’s neck or spine. Constriction may also break other bones, making the prey easier to swallow.
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