Footage of snakes eating themselves

Some snakes in captivity have been known to swallow their own tails, possibly due to stress, confusion, illness, or even hunger.

Snakes or dragons eating their own tails have been a symbol of infinity since ancient times. Photo: Egypttoursportal — Snakes or dragons eating their own tails have been a symbol of infinity since ancient times. Photo: *Egypttoursportal*

Snakes eating their own tails has been a symbol of infinity since ancient times. But witnessing the spectacle in person can be like something out of a horror movie. In rare cases, mostly in captivity, snakes can actually swallow their own tails, Science Alert reported on August 10.

When a snake swallows its own tail, if the owner does not intervene in time, the digestive juices can begin to destroy its own body. Some captive snakes that habitually eat themselves have lesions on their scales due to the acidic stomach juices.

Herpetologists aren't exactly sure why snakes do this, but they suspect the self-destructive behavior stems from stress, confusion, illness, or even hunger. For example, if a snake gets too hot and can't get into the shade, it may become confused and unable to distinguish its own tail from its prey.

Footage of snakes eating themselves — Snake swallows its own tail in a pet store. Video : *ImagineTheSeaView*

Extreme temperatures can also make snakes crave food. This is likely what happened to the creature in the video above, which was filmed at a pet store. The animal curled up in a bowl of water and tried to swallow its own tail.

Even if a snake realizes what it has done after the first bite, it can still get into trouble. Snakes are able to defend themselves against their own venom, but their fangs can cause serious wounds that can lead to infection.

King snakes are known to eat other snakes, so they are prone to accidental ingestion. In a 2019 video posted online, Jesse Rothacker of the Forgotten Friend Reptile Sanctuary in Elm, Pennsylvania, USA, explained that king snakes often bite their own tails, but rarely swallow them. However, in this video, the animal not only bit itself, but swallowed nearly half of its body. To save the king snake, Rothacker carefully pulled the tail out of its mouth.

Another king snake owner came up with an ingenious solution when he discovered his pet was eating itself. He held hand sanitizer close to the snake’s face, and the smell caused the snake to almost immediately release its tail.

If you find your pet swallowing its tail, you can try using hand sanitizer or placing it in water to see if it comes out on its own, experts say. Regardless of how helpful these methods are, you should still take your pet to a veterinarian for a checkup. Scientists don’t know how often king snakes bite their own tails in the wild.

Thu Thao (According to Science Alert )

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