Eating SNAKE is better for the environment than eating beef or chicken (2024)

They're capable of a powerful bite that can cause nasty injuries.

And now scientists say that pythons should be on the menu - at least for those of us wanting to do our bit to help save the planet.

Experts from Macquarie University in Sydney claim that eating snake is better for the environment than eating beef, chicken, or even fish.

Pythons don't need to eat much because they don't expend much energy, and grow rapidly during farming.

In comparison, the likes of chicken and beef are farmed intensively and require vast amounts of land and feeding, which causes a strain on natural resources.

Scientists measured growth rates in two species of large pythons - thereticulated python (pictured) and the Burmese python - in farms in Thailand and Vietnam

Pythons are already widely consumed in Southeast Asian countries like Vietnam and Thailand, but finding the meat in the western world is harder. Pictured,Burmese python meat

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The team of scientists, led byDr Daniel Natusch, outlined their argument in a new study published today.

For the study, Dr Natusch and colleagues measured the growth rates of 4,601 large pythons of two species – the reticulated python and the Burmese python – in farms in Thailand and Vietnam.

Both species arenon-venomous and are farmed in Asia for their skin and their meat.

The pythons were fed a variety of locally-sourced proteins, including wild-caught rodents, pork sausages, chicken and fishmeal.

Researchers found that both python species grew rapidly over a 12-month period despite not needing food as frequently as other livestock animals like chicken and cows.

Regular measurements of the pythons showed they continued to grow even when being given food as little as once per week.

'They still grew, and at faster rates than chickens, pigs, cows, crickets, and salmon fed more frequently,' DrNatusch said.

Farmed python meat may offer a more sustainable alternative to other farmed meats, suggests the analysis of python growth rates. Pictured, workers in China with Burmese pythons (Python bivittatus)

Workers in Vietnam take meat from dead Burmese pythons, which has been described as chewy and a bit like chicken

Even when they didn't eat for 4.2 months, the pythons survived and lost some weight but at 'ridiculously' slow rates and resumed rapid growth as soon as feeding recommenced.

Amazingly, large pythons can go for almost a year without food and still survive.

'If you don't feed a chicken for three to five days it dies,' Dr Natusch added.

'This is why they are such an amazing animal for a future where climatic volatility, economic volatility, resource volatility will be increasing.

'They are the most efficient and resilient source of protein known to date.'

The team also found that female pythons grew faster than males – a sex-based difference that is common in snakes generally.

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Dr Natusch said he has eaten python meat 'several times', describing it as 'tasty and versatile'.

'I've had it barbecued, as satay skewers, and in curries,' he told MailOnline.

'I've also eaten it as Biltong (uncooked but dried meat with herbs).

'At risk of sounding cliché, it's a bit like chicken.'

Pythons are already widely consumed in Southeast Asian countries like Vietnam and Thailand, but finding the meat in the western world is harder.

However, Burmese python has been served on pizzas in Florida,where the non-native species is considered an invasive pest as it competes with native wildlife for food.

The Everglades Pizza, named for Florida's vast national park, was served at Evan's Neighborhood Pizza in Fort Myers, along with alligator sausage and frogs legs.

A couple who tried it described python meat as tasting 'like chicken' and 'good but a little chewy'.

Another internet user has described python meat as 'a bit sweet with a slightly gamey taste' but added that it's 'very tough and chewy'.

What's more, python meat is low in fat and calories, and rich in protein, nutrients and essential amino acids.

Even when they didn't eat for 4.2 months, the pythons survived and lost some weight, but at very slow rates. Pictured, the Burmese python

Reticulated and Burmese pythons grew rapidly over a 12-month period despite not needing food as frequently as other livestock animals. Pictured, workers in Vietnam with Burmese pythons

Dr Daniel Natusch, a biologist at Macquarie University, holdingan Australian water python (Liasis fuscus) - a species that is not farmed (it's a wild python)

Based on the findings, the experts say that commercial python farming could be a feasible and sustainable food production option around the world.

They highlight the need for further research into the most effective and humane ways to produce them globally.

'Python farming is well established in Asia but has received little attention from mainstream agricultural scientists,' Dr Natusch and colleagues say in their paper,published in Scientific Reports.

'The ability of fasting pythons to regulate metabolic processes and maintain body condition enhances food security in volatile environments.

'Python farming may offer a flexible and efficient response to global food insecurity.'

ARE HUMANS BORN WITH A FEAR OF SNAKES AND SPIDERS?

Researchers at MPI CBS in Leipzig, Germany and the Uppsala University in Sweden conducted a study which found that even in infants, a stress reaction happens when they see a spider or snake.

They found that this happens as young as six months-old, when infants are still very immobile and have not had much opportunity to learn that these animals can be dangerous.

'When we showed pictures of a snake or a spider to the babies instead of a flower or a fish of the same size and color, they reacted with significantly bigger pupils,' says Stefanie Hoehl, lead investigator of the underlying study and neuroscientist at MPI CBS and the University of Vienna.

'In constant light conditions this change in size of the pupils is an important signal for the activation of the noradrenergic system in the brain, which is responsible for stress reactions.

'Accordingly, even the youngest babies seem to be stressed by these groups of animals.'

The researchers concluded that the fear of snakes and spiders is of evolutionary origin, and similarly to primates or snakes, mechanisms in our brains allow us to identify objects and to react to them very quickly.

Eating SNAKE is better for the environment than eating beef or chicken (2024)

FAQs

Eating SNAKE is better for the environment than eating beef or chicken? ›

Pythons

Pythons
Python is a genus of constricting snakes in the Pythonidae family native to the tropics and subtropics of the Eastern Hemisphere. The name python was proposed by François Marie Daudin in 1803 for non-venomous flecked snakes. Currently, 10 python species are recognized as valid taxa.
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Python_(genus)
don't need to eat much because they don't expend much energy, and grow rapidly during farming. In comparison, the likes of chicken and beef are farmed intensively and require vast amounts of land and feeding, which causes a strain on natural resources.

How healthy is python meat? ›

To help meet this demand, commercial python farms have been popping up in recent years. “Reptile meat is not unlike chicken: high in protein, low in saturated fats and with widespread aesthetic and culinary appeal,” write the scientists in the paper.

How long can a snake go without eating? ›

Depends on the snake and how well fed it is. It is common to see snakes in the wild go 3 to 6 months without eating. They have an amazing ability to slow their metabolism. I had a python who went almost 9 months between meals for no apparent reason.

Which animal meat is the healthiest? ›

White-meat poultry, such as chicken or turkey breasts. Fish, especially fatty fish like salmon, lake trout, mackerel, herring, sardines and tuna. Pork tenderloin. Lean or extra-lean cuts of beef such as sirloin or round cuts, greater than 93% lean ground beef.

What is the safest animal meat to eat? ›

Steaks, pork chops, and other whole-muscle meats are the safest bet. That's because the cooking process can easily kill off bacteria on the cut's surface, while the inside of the meat is essentially sterile, protected from any potential pathogens—in theory.

Can a snake go 2 years without eating? ›

It's highly unlikely for a snake to survive for two years without food. While some snakes, such as pythons and boas, can go several months without eating, two years without food is not a realistic timeframe for any snake species.

How long can a human go without eating? ›

How long human beings can go without food is an open question. Estimates indicate that starving people become weak in 30 to 50 days and die in 43 to 70 days. Individual factors including sex, age, starting weight, and water intake all play a role in how long someone can live without food.

Which animal eats once a year? ›

Hard ticks (family Ixodidae), such as dog ticks and deer ticks, feed only once a year, four times in their entire lives.

Is python meat high in mercury? ›

Q. Why should python hunters (and others) think twice about eating python meat? FWC: Some Burmese pythons removed from the Everglades that have been tested for mercury levels had high amounts of mercury for human consumption.

What is the most unhealthy meat in the world? ›

Least healthy meats

Processed Meats: Notably, there are over 200 types of cold cuts and processed meats. These include hot dogs, bologna, and Vienna sausages. Processed meat is often made of less healthy organs like the stomach, lips, and heart.

Why does python meat contain mercury? ›

As relatively sedentary, obligate predators occupying a diversity of ecosystems, snakes have the potential to accumulate high amounts of Hg and are likely important contributors to Hg transfer within food webs. As in other species, Hg partitioning in snakes is known to vary among tissue types.

Why do people eat python? ›

Farming snakes as a high-protein, low-fat food source may be a more sustainable way of taking the pressure off conventional livestock farming which has been ravaged by climate change and diminishing natural resources, new research suggests.

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