Eli5: How do snakes consume things way larger than their mouths?

Question

I watched an infamous video of a snake engulfing a whole egg. It didn’t bite it down or anything, it just extended its mouth like an elastic band. You can see the egg travel down the snake. How does this process not hurt it?

In: 10

Answer 1

My daughter has a corn snake – their heads are very stretchy when they consume their food. It’s interesting to watch how their heads flatten out and stretch to swallow a mouse.