What are some python adaptations?


Quick Answer

Some python adaptations include a high metabolism, the enlargement of organs during feeding and heat sensitive organs. It's these heat sensitive organs that allow pythons to identify possible prey.

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Full Answer

According to the University of Texas, two important adaptations of pythons are their metabolism and organs. When they feed, their organs, including the heart, liver, kidneys and small intestine, enlarge significantly. This, in conjunction with a speeding metabolism, enables them to swallow animals whole. After a day or two when digestion is completed, these organs return to their regular sizes. A python's teeth, which point backwards, also play a role in feeding by helping it to catch and hold pray until it asphyxiates them to death.

Another adaptation of pythons are patterned scales that allow them to blend in with their habitat, hiding them from both predator and prey. The night vision of these reptiles allows them to hunt at night. Meanwhile, they have learned to adapt their bodies to different temperatures. During cold temperatures, they burrow into the nests of other animals or insects, such as termites. Black-headed pythons are especially adapted to survive in the heat. Their black heads help them maintain a steady body temperature by soaking up the sun. To cool down, they remove their heads from the heat and even occasionally put them in the sand.

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