Like any other living creature, a snake needs food to live and grow. Perhaps that's why you'll find a snake slithering in your yard in search of their favorite food: rodents. There are numerous snake species that come in different sizes, eating habits, and behaviors. Snakes may also vary slightly depending on size and habitat. All snakes are carnivores, meaning that their natural diet is made of meat. As such, they're excellent hunters with many sophisticated tactics for getting their prey captured. The snake has many adaptations that keep it ahead of the game, even without physical legs.
One of the most important adaptations is the excellent sensory organs that make it able to detect movement while several meters away. Basically, the snake senses motions in vibrations transmitted through the jawbone to the inner ear, where it can interpret how far the prey is and in which direction. Besides that, snakes can also use smell and chemical sensors to know the type of prey before going for the hunt. Moreover, snakes are swift in movement with a speed of more than 5m/s. As such, they can quickly reach for their prey without hesitation. Usually, snakes typically prey on other living things, with the smaller snakes preying on smaller animals while the larger snake species prey on larger animals.
Snake’s natural diet
The natural diet of snakes comprises fish, birds, mammals, and amphibians. Sometimes, they consume other snakes. What a snake eats depends on its environment. Sea snakes usually feed on fish and other aquatic animals because they live in the ocean or other water bodies. Tree pythons, on the other hand, dwell in trees, so they consume birds. Blind snakes tend to survive on insects such as termites and ants because they reside in the soil. The more powerful species like king cobras feed on mammals and even other snakes. There is a special category of snakes known as the egg-eating snakes, which mainly feed on fresh eggs instead of preying on other living things.
How snakes get food
Snakes are predators with special senses that allow them to catch their food within the split of a second. Since they do not have teeth as other animals do, they unhinge their jaws and swallow their prey. They have a powerful digestive system with highly corrosive enzymes that breakdown whole prey into smaller absorbable chunks. The undigested materials are then excreted together with feces in the form of urates through the cloaca. The special sensations and abilities that snakes use to catch their prey include vibrations, heat vision, and the ability to detect both movement and chemicals. Snakes cannot hear sounds as we humans do, but they quickly detect vibrations that help them know their prey's exact location. They then strike quickly and swallow them whole.
Some snake species, more so the pit vipers, have heat-vision in addition to other sensors that keep them alert and in control of their hunting expedition. Heat-vision means that they have a special sense that is extremely sensitive to thermal changes. They can thus detect the heat signatures of their prey without necessarily having to locate the target visually. Using the heat-vision, they track the prey and attack when the latter least expects it.
Snakes are also very sensitive to movement and often use their movement detection ability to get food, especially in poor or low lighting locations. Using their sense of motion, they locate the prey, unhinge the jaws, and swallow it. One of the unique snake sensations that helps them to acquire food is their powerful chemical detection ability. As such, they can use their tongue to detect the prey's scent and then use their brains to locate it.
Most snakes have all the above senses that allow them to locate their next meal. In some cases, they may use their fangs to inject venom into prey before swallowing it. The venom paralyzes the animal, so it becomes easier to swallow. Larger snakes may also use their powerful muscles to constrict larger animals to death before swallowing them.
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