Nature Is Metal
Defying Gravity
📽 by @selvatica_ecoretreat
This green parrot snake swallows its prey while hanging from a tree by employing powerful, rhythmic muscular contractions in a process called "pterygoid walking," where flexible skull bones, including the quadrate and pterygoid, allow the snake to alternately grip and pull the prey upward with its upper and lower jaws.
The quadrate acts as a mobile hinge connecting the lower jaw to the cranium, allowing the jaw to open widely and move independently, while the pterygoid, located in the palate, is an elongated bone that aids in gripping and pulling prey through the mouth during the "walking" process.
The snake’s rear-curved teeth secure the prey, preventing slippage, while elastic throat muscles and lubricating mucus facilitate smooth movement against gravity. The snake anchors itself by coiling its body around a branch, providing stability to focus energy on swallowing, with the slow, methodical jaw movements ensuring the prey is steadily drawn into the stomach despite the upward orientation.
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