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Flexible quadrate bones and elastic ligaments let python jaws stretch wide. The figure is taken from Encyclopædia Britannica, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

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Yes. It sits on the Animals shelf, one of 1,090 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

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Pythons swallow prey whole by flexing independent jaw bones

Flexible quadrate bones and elastic ligaments let python jaws stretch wide.

Contrary to popular myth, snakes do not dislocate their jaws to swallow large prey. Instead, their lower jaw bones are connected by elastic ligaments that separate in the middle, allowing quadrate bones on each side to move independently and walk prey down the throat.

Where this comes from

Encyclopædia Britannica

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Tags: python, reptiles, snakes

Pythons swallow prey whole by flexing independent jaw bones: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: Flexible quadrate bones and elastic ligaments let python jaws stretch wide. The figure is taken from Encyclopædia Britannica, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a animals fact?: Yes. It sits on the Animals shelf, one of 1,090 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.