Why is it that snakes only have to eat once every few weeks?

Question

My teacher wants me to find out...

thx, thats what i thought

Answer 1

Their digestive process is slow and lengthy (Grin).... and they don't burn calories as quickly as mammals.

Answer 2

1. Snakes are cold blooded. Therefore they do not use energy to regulate body temperature. It takes alot of food energy for people and warmblooded animals to regulate their body temperature.
2. Their metabolisms are much slower, although some snakes are very active and do need to eat fairly often.
3. Lack of movement. Many snakes are ambush hunters and will sit in 1 place for hours waiting for a meal. After they eat, they go to the closest safe place they can find where they can hide and digest it, and pretty much just sit there, emerging just far enough to catch some heat.
4. They eat large meals. A snake might often eat meals that weigh around 1/4th - 1/5th of their own bodyweight. Thats like an adult person eating an entire thankgiving turkey, bones, feathers and all, in 1 meal.
The typical snake probably eats more like everyweek or 2, and the really active ones might eat every few days if food is available and temperatures are warm. They can, however go much longer. I've had snakes refuse food for 6 straight months and start eating again, and they are still alive and well- but they must have good body condition to start.

Answer 3

Well, it depends on the species. Smaller snakes, like corn snake adults need to eat every 7-10 days. Some of the largest pythons eat once a month or less! It takes them a longer time to digest large prey, like a rabbit, than it does for a smaller snake to digest a little mouse.

Answer 4

Because it takes a very long time for them to digest their food.

Answer 5

Because they have a ver slow metabolism, (takes a while to dugest food) because of this it also takes quite a few months for things like cuts to heal

Answer 6

because it takes them so long to digest the food.