In 1994, a rogue herpetologist challenged the dogma that constricting snakes kill by suffocation. He didn’t think it made sense. If suffocation were the mechanism, the prey would have died much more slowly —minutes rather than seconds. Instead, he thought the immense pressure from the snake’s contorted body sent its prey into cardiac arrest. It has taken 20 years, but researchers have finally proved him right.
Paper:http://jeb.biologists.org/content/218/14/2279
Article:http://news.sciencemag.org/biology/2015/07/surprise-snakes-don-t-kill-suffocation
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