Some snakes in captivity exhibit self-cannibalistic behavior, likely due to stress, confusion, illness, or even hunger.
Snakes or dragons consuming their tails symbolize eternity since ancient times. (Photo: Egypttoursportal).
Snakes eating their own tails have been a symbol of eternity since ancient times. However, witnessing such a scene can feel like a horror movie. In rare cases, mainly in captivity, snakes may actually consume their own tails, as reported by Science Alert on August 10.
When a snake begins to eat its own tail, if the owner does not intervene in time, digestive fluids can start to damage its own body. Some captive snakes that exhibit self-cannibalistic behavior show scale injuries caused by acidic stomach fluids.
Herpetologists are not exactly sure why snakes do this, but they suspect this self-destructive behavior arises from stress, confusion, illness, or even hunger. For instance, if a snake becomes overheated and cannot find shade, it may become disoriented, unable to distinguish its tail from prey.
A snake consuming its tail in a pet store. (Video: ImagineTheSeaView).
Excessive heat can also trigger a snake’s appetite. This is likely what happened to the creature in the video above, filmed in a pet store. The animal curled up in a water bowl and attempted to swallow its own tail.
Even if the snake realizes what it has done after the first bite, it may still encounter problems. While snakes can protect themselves from their own venom, their fangs can cause serious injuries and the risk of infection.
King snakes, which often prey on other snakes, are particularly prone to this kind of mix-up. In a 2019 video posted online, Jesse Rothacker at the Forgotten Friend Reptile Sanctuary in Elm, Pennsylvania, explained that king snakes often bite their own tails, but rarely swallow them. However, in this instance, the animal not only bit but also swallowed nearly half of its body. To rescue the king snake, Rothacker carefully pulled the tail from its mouth.
A king snake swallowing its tail at the Forgotten Friend Reptile Sanctuary, USA. (Video: PennLive).
Another king snake owner had a clever solution when discovering their pet was self-cannibalizing. They brought hand sanitizer close to the snake’s face, and the scent caused the snake to almost immediately release its tail.
Experts suggest that if you catch your pet snake eating its tail, you can try using hand sanitizer or placing it in water to see if it will let go. However effective this may be, the owner should still take the snake to a veterinarian for a check-up. Currently, the frequency of king snakes biting their tails in the wild is not well understood by scientists.
