Why Do Snakes Eat Themselves: 5 Reasons They Do

There are instances when snakes eat themselves. This might sound bizarre to some, but it occurs.

Why Do Snakes Eat Themselves?

Even though snakes eating themselves is a well-documented and very unusual phenomenon, science still does not have a conclusive explanation for why it occurs. Many videos, including this one, show the serpent in a full circle while eating its tail.

Snakes may attempt to swallow themselves for various reasons, but their small brains and reactive rather than proactive behavior likely play a role.

To put it another way, a snake's behavior is determined by how intuitively it responds to outside stimuli. Still, when a snake is ill, its usual responses may be off-balance. As a result, a malfunction may cause odd behavior, such as the snake trying to eat itself.

Here are potential reasons why serpents do this, per American Tarantula & Animals.

1. Thermoregulation Issues

Snakes cannot regulate their body temperature because, like other reptiles, they are cold-blooded.

They are referred to as poikilotherms, meaning their body temperature is highly variable and is controlled by the temperature of the surrounding environment. This is why reptiles like snakes and others frequently sunbathe in the morning to get warm.

A snake must seek shade to cool off if it becomes too hot, unlike mammals that can sweat or pant to do so.

Snakes can become confused and disoriented when they are too hot and can't cool down. In this uneasy state, they become disoriented and confused that they can't tell their tail apart from a prey animal, which prompts them to bite it.

2. Hypermetabolism

A snake's metabolic rate may increase and cause hypermetabolism due to overheating if it cannot cool itself. When a snake is in this condition, its body believes it is hungry even if it is not, and as a result, it may try to devour anything it can find.

When in this situation, it can mistake its tail for prey. A snake may also attempt to eat its tail due to hypermetabolism, which is likely to occur in conjunction with the confusing consequences of being unable to cool itself. It is because snakes have an insatiable drive to feed when their minds are also confused.

3. Shedding

The notion that snakes occasionally attempt to consume themselves while losing their skin is intriguing. Their eye caps fall off when they shed, briefly impairing their vision. They might try to eat their tails at this point after mistaking them for food.

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4. Stress

Stress-related psychological disorders in snakes might present themselves by them trying to consume themselves.

Examples of stress-inducing conditions include living in a small tank, excessive noise, excessive light, frequent handling, an erratic feeding schedule, a tank that is too hot, a dirty tank, and more, which can affect snakes.

Snakes may attempt to consume themselves as one of the many displacement behaviors that animals exhibit in response to stress.

5. Illness or Aging

It has also been noted that older snakes or those with chronic ailments tend to harm themselves more frequently. The cause of this behavior is unknown. However, if you own an older pet snake, be aware that it is more likely to exhibit this behavior than it is older.

What Is Ouroboros

The behavior of snakes consuming themselves is also called ouroboros. It is seen as having its tail in its mouth, continuously consuming itself and regenerating from it, per Britannica.

The Ouroboros, a gnostic and alchemical symbol, represents the unity of all things material and spiritual-which never truly vanish but constantly change shape in an endless cycle of destruction and creation.