Why do reptiles dont chew their food before swallowing it?
like,i've seen a lot of video on youtube about reptile feeding,but whenever they kill their prey,they never chew or even bite it,they just swallow it whole (and sometimes,alive).
like,i've seen a lot of video on youtube about reptile feeding,but whenever they kill their prey,they never chew or even bite it,they just swallow it whole (and sometimes,alive).
?
Favorite Answer
They lack the capability to actually chew anything, as their jaws are totally designed differently (open, shut, unhinge, don't go side to side like ours, horses, cows, and other animals that chew) and their teeth are usually very sharp, intending to kill prey at the first strike and keep it in place as they swallow. Some will tear their prey, but still more or less just chomp down and swallow. You can sit there and make your bottom jaw go left to right and open and shut. Reptiles do not have jaws like that. That and our molars give us the capability to physically CHEW our food before swallowing.
Also, evolutionary speaking, they don't need to chew their food in order to digest it. They are designed how they are designed: strike, kill, consume, repeat.
Pearl L
its just the way they were made
Nigel
my anoles easily chewed there prey before swallowing!