How a Snake Kills Its Prey

A research team from Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA led by herpetologist Scott M. Boback conducted a study analyzing how powerful snakes like boa constrictors subdue their prey.

Results were recently published in the journal Experimental Biology. [1]

The common notion was that these snakes “squeeze the life out of their prey” through constriction, according to The New York Times. [2] However, the mechanics of constriction had yet to be explored in terms of what this action actually entailed.

Boback’s team used anesthetized rats in this experiment. They delicately implanted heart and blood pressure sensors in the rat before feeding it to a snake.

You can see what they found out below.