Why can snakes live without eating or drinking?

A recent study shows that snakes can reduce their metabolic rate by as much as 70% in the absence of food, which allows them to not only go without food or water for a long time without dying, but also grow larger. Marshall McQueen, a biology graduate student at Arkansas State University and the lead author of the study, said: "These reptiles can reduce their energy consumption to an amazing level."

The study, published in the journal Zoology, expands on a series of biochemical studies that McQue has conducted on the western diamondback rattlesnake in the past.

McQuay conducted a six-week fasting experiment on a total of 62 snakes belonging to three major species: rat snakes, western diamondback rattlesnakes and ball pythons. During this period, McQuay measured and counted the metabolic rate of each snake.

The experiment lasted for six weeks because six weeks is the typical length of time that snakes lack food in the wild. The experiment found that during the period of lack of food, snakes reduced their metabolic rate, with the highest reduction being as much as 72%. McQueen said: "Snakes' energy consumption is already very low, but we didn't expect it to be reduced to such a low level."

Even when food is scarce, these snakes can still grow longer. "To me, this shows that snakes have a strong selective advantage to grow longer," said McQueen. He believes that in the process of evolution, snakes have gradually developed the ability to efficiently use the limited energy inside their bodies.

In the first phase of the snake fasting experiment, all snakes tended to consume body fat to obtain energy; while in the second phase of the fasting experiment, different types of snakes would choose to use different substances to convert into energy. Rat snakes living in an environment where they can capture a large number of rodent prey will convert more protein into the energy needed by the body than rattlesnakes and ball pythons.

"Snakes that break down protein to fuel hunger may be less adaptable to starvation," McQueen explained.

Understanding how snakes can survive without food or water will help us understand the complete process of snake evolution more comprehensively.

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