Snakes like boas and pythons swallow their prey head first. How do they know which end is the head?

Answer 1

I don't know and I wonder whether anyone does.
The most likely answer, it seems to me, is that
there is something about the odor that tips them
off, and they have evolved to zero in on a certain
odor, perhaps having something to do with the
air exhaled by the prey. Also it is more difficult
to swallow the back end first, although I once saw
a copperhead swallow a mouse backwards. It
had a little trouble with the hind legs sticking out
on each side of its head, but it finally got it down.

Answer 2

The head is wholly unlike limbs which can fold up, extend upward or outward or lie parallel to the body. I would also imagine that the most heat is released through the head affording the sensory apparatus of the python to detect and rightfully determine the head position. This is conjecture on my part but it seems to stand to reason. To swallow the buttocks or rear end first will often require the ingestion of limbs first. Not so the head.

Answer 3

"The end making the most noise..."...or...the end that stinks less. Actually, I'm sure they just look at the prey and know which end is which. Why would they need any other sense to determine that? They have eyes and a brain, right? That said...I'm just guessing at the answer.

Answer 4

The same way we can tell, they can see! Snakes aren't the brightest animals, but they can tell which way to swallow their food. I suppose the ones that weren't able to tell which way to swallow their food correctly died out before they could pass on their genes, leaving the slightly smarter ones to breed.

Answer 5

The end making the most noise...

Answer 6

They know which end is which the same way you do.

Answer 7

If it smells like *** then definitely not the head!

Answer 8

The end that doesn't taste like ******