8legs: University of porto

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9h ago

Scientists Finally Understand How Snakes Can Go For A Year Without Food, As They Sit Tight And Wait For A Meal To Appear Before Them

New research explains how snakes can go for months or years without eating by slowing their metabolism and avoiding ghrelin signaling.
The study notes snakes do not typically produce ghrelin, a hormone that signals hunger in many animals.
Researchers highlight MBOAT4 enzyme absence as a factor in ghrelin activation and hunger regulation.
The lack of ghrelin and slow metabolism reflects an adaptation to unpredictable prey and long fasting periods.
The study was published in Open Biology and cited by TwistedSifter as a key finding on reptile biology.
The article situates snakes alongside reptiles in a broader discussion of hunger hormones and metabolism.
The piece highlights the researchers’ attribution to the University of Porto and University of Copenhagen.
The article frames snakes’ behavior as an evolutionary adaptation to prey timing.
The report mentions the broader context with related health questions, like why people wake up at 3 a.m.

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