It’s a well-known fact that boa constrictors kill their prey through suffocation, right? Wrong! Scientists are saying that they now have substantial evidence to prove that while the large, scaly snake wraps around its victim, it is not necessarily trying to stop it from breathing.
Okay, then how do boa constrictors kill?
While it’s obvious that boa constrictors wrap around their prey, they are not stopping the prey from breathing like previously thought. Instead, researchers from Dickinson College in Pennsylvania are now saying that boa constrictors actually pull their prey so tight that it stops the blood flow in the animal and also prevents oxygen from getting to the prey.
How did scientists test this?
Obviously, for this test to be as accurate as possible, some creatures had to die. Fortunately, the researchers had several lab rats to use. They gave the rats anesthetic so that they could not feel any pain. Scientists then measured the blood pressure and heartrate of the rats as well as took blood samples. They then let the snakes into the equation.
The boa constrictor wrapped around the rat and killed it. Scientists then took blood samples from the dead rats. With this “before and after” data, they were able to test to find that there was significantly less oxygen in the blood after it was constricted.
Don’t the snakes suffocate their prey anyway?
According to Dr. Scott Boback of the Dickinson College, “If the snake is wrapping around the chest, it could also be limiting breathing, too, but an absence of blood flow will cause death more rapidly than suffocation.” In essence, by wrapping around its prey, the boa constrictor may also suffocate its prey, the victim will die sooner from the loss of blood oxygen levels.
The researchers say that the rats passed out almost instantly and that this was actually a rather effective and humane way of killing. They are hoping that studying the killing methods of boa constrictors will help advance the knowledge of how to treat victims who have suffered from crushing, either from boa constrictors or in another way.
Keep your things from slipping from your grasp without having to squeeze tight with this snazzy shirt:
How Boa Constrictors Actually Kill Their Prey
No comments:
Post a Comment