If you watch a snake drinking, you’ll notice that he doesn’t use his tongue, nor does he use his mouth to scoop up water. His head remains very still, while inside his mouth a sponge-like structure is being squeezed and then released, sucking in water just like a kitchen sponge.
This clever drinking mechanism comes from the snake’s peculiar anatomy. A snake’s lower jaw has folds of soft tissue that unfurl to widen the snake’s mouth when he’s devouring large prey. But when the layers of tissue are folded in on themselves, the gaps between them act like holes in a sponge. A little pressure from the muscles and bones in the snake’s head can squeeze the folds, and releasing them causes water to rush in.
It’s thought that most snakes drink this way, though a study in boa constrictors found that they can seal around their mouths, leaving a small hole for sucking in water the way we humans do with a straw.
Main image: copperhead snake © Getty Images
