Many snakes can subdue and swallow very large prey after many months of fasting. The
functional capacity and the mass of the gastrointestinal organs regress during fasting, but …

Some vertebrates evolved to have a remarkable capacity for anatomical and physiological
plasticity in response to environmental challenges. One example of such plasticity can be …

Snakes are a diverse group of squamate reptiles characterized by a unique feeding system
and other traits associated with elongation and limblessness. Despite the description of …

Constricting pythons, known for their ability to consume infrequent, massive meals, exhibit
rapid and reversible cardiac hypertrophy following feeding. Our primary goal was to …

The Burmese python, one of the world's largest snakes, has reached celebrity status for its
dramatic physiological responses associated with digestion of enormous meals. The meals …

Snakes and lizards are considered 'stoic'animals and often show only non‐specific signs of
illness. Consequently, diagnostic imaging–along with clinical examination and laboratory …

In winter, many reptiles have a period of inactivity (“brumation”). During brumation there is
no energetic intake, therefore there would be an advantage to reducing energetic …

Pythons digesting rodent meals exhibit up to 10-fold increases in their resting metabolic rate
(RMR); this increase in RMR is termed specific dynamic action (SDA). Studies have shown …

To investigate the contribution of gastric and intestinal processes to the postprandial rise in
metabolism in pythons (Python regius), we measured oxygen consumption after ligation of …

Simple Summary In recent years, reptiles have become increasingly popular pets. The
growing interest in snakes has led to an increase in captive-bred ophidians, and the Boa …