Why do snakes yawn

We will discuss some of the more common reasons for this below. When it is feeding time, your snake may start to Yawn to prepare itself for the impending meal. Snakes can stretch their jaws around a large rodent because their bottom jaw is made up of ligaments as opposed to bones. This tissue can stretch around a large prey item. If your snake is on a strict feeding routine and they know a meal is coming, it is possible that they are preparing their jaw for the workload ahead.

It is also common for a snake to yawn while it is consuming its meal. There are two potential reasons why snakes yawn at this time. The obvious one is that they are yawning to increase their levels of oxygen as their airways are being restricted by the meal.

The other potential reason why snakes yawn at this time is because they are trying to realign or stretch the ligaments in their lower jaw that were stretched as they consumed their meal. Your snake may also be opening its mouth to gather information. This helps the snake to gather information about its surroundings. Search Articles. Search Store. Why do snakes yawn? Sleepy snakes or is something else going on? Post Tags australian snakes komodo dragon snakes yawning.

Western bush viper 'yawning'. Related Video. An apparent yawn from this blind snake found in Cape Leveque, Western Australia. Credit: Kristian Bell. Related: Watch a king brown snake take its first breath.

Read Next. A long way from home: Antarctic penguin makes it all the way to New Zealand New Zealand conservationists have released an adelie penguin back into the sea after the Antarctic-based bird swam thousands of kilometres to make a rare visit. How often a snake will stretch varies for numerous reasons, but it has been found that younger snakes will yawn more often than the adult counterparts.

If you are unsure if this is the case with your pet snake, checking for any discharge around the mouth will reveal if this is a possibility. A Snake will yawn much more frequently with infections upwards of 3 times a day, this is not natural, and the snake should be taken to a local veterinary to be checked over.