It's quite possible for a snake to swallow prey bigger than its own head. Besides their unique table manners, snakes also have specialized eating utensils including teeth or fangs that curve back. This helps them get a firm grip on their prey. Some snakes have fangs that contain venom, a sure fire way to quickly kill victims. But most snakes, like Montshire's boa constrictors Al and Victoria, are not venomous.
Constrictors wrap themselves around their prey, squeezing it in their coils.
Then the snake begins the process of swallowing its dinner whole. Friday Snakes are cold blooded, which means the temperature of their bodies is closely related to the temperature of the air. When the air is cool, snakes often bask in the sun, raising their body temperature above the air temperature. In hot weather, especially in desert climates, snakes will sometimes bury themselves to lower their temperature. Finding a warm place for the winter is a life and death matter - snakes in our region need to find an underground den to stay in for the winter.