4/10/2023 0 Comments Bow constrictor snake![]() ![]() "Either the animals did not mind the cuff or became defensive and hissed to try to get the researcher to leave," recalls Capano, explaining that the reptiles filled their lungs to hiss, providing the team with the perfect opportunity to measure some big breaths.īy compressing the cuff along different points, the team could assess and reconstruct how the boa's ribs moved. Researchers led by evolutionary biologist John Capano from Brown University used blood pressure cuffs to figure out what happens when different parts of a danger noodle are squished – which sounds like a risky task. How boa constrictors manage to squeeze the life out of another animal for up to 45 minutes, yet still are able to breathe, has been a long-standing mystery. Yet these nocturnal nope ropes increase oxygen consumption by almost 7 times while subduing their victims compared to resting rates, and up to 17 times to digest prey a quarter of their own body weight. This means when those muscles are busy squashing something externally or squeezing food through their tubular bodies, snakes can't move air around, too. This technique – along with super-stretchy jaws – allows them to take down relatively large prey, including wild pigs, monkeys, and ocelots from their forested homes in Central and South America.īut snakes have no diaphragm – the thin layer of muscle mammals like us contract to move air in and out of lungs – so they rely entirely on their rib muscles to breathe. Contrary to popular belief, these nonvenomous reptiles actually kill their victims by choking off the blood flow to their heart and brain, rather than suffocation.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |