Snake Steak? Python Meat Could Be a Sustainable, High-Quality Protein Source For the Planet, Study Claims

According to a new study, python meat can become an alternative to more common meats widely consumed as environmental changes threaten food supply.

Threatened Global Agriculture, Food Supply

The "Python farming as a flexible and efficient form of agricultural food security" study looked into the growth rates of Burmese and reticulated pythons at farms in Vietnam and Thailand. Researchers found that these reptiles rapidly grew over the course of the year despite not consuming as much compared to other animals raised for meat consumption.

As certain factors, including climate change, pose a rising threat to agriculture all over the world, scientists worry that the world may need to opt for proteins that are more sustainable.

Daniel Natusch, a study co-author, the director of the EPIC Biodiversity consulting company, and the chair of the Snake Specialist Group of the Species Survival Commission of the International Union for Conservation, explains that resource volatility, disease, climate change, and insufficient sustainability all lead to current agricultural system failure. Natusch adds that it is necessary to feed the planet, but high-quality protein is becoming a more limited resource. The director explains that pythons have various attributes that could aid in meeting and mitigating such challenges.

ALSO READ: 'Exotic' Cultivated Meat Not As Harmless as Previously Claimed, Could Threaten Endangered Animals

Python Meat as Potential Protein Source

While several regions of the world have already embraced snake meat consumption, the farming industry for snakes is still small. Natusch explains that billions of individuals all over the world already consider snakes as a culturally acceptable meat source, noting further that it is Western countries that do not do so.

Natusch explains that some may love it while others won't, similar to all types of food. However, for individuals who are serious about global sustainability, they must consider consuming python meat rather than chicken or beef.

As part of their python farming study, the team of Natusch looked into 4,601 pythons. These snakes were fed different prey, such as rodents, and fish each week. They were regularly measured over the course of one year. On average, the snakes grew up to 46 grams each day, with females growing faster compared to their male counterparts.

The researchers then found that for every 4.1 grams of food consumed by the snake, 1 python meat gram could be gained. They observed that the pythons that did not consume anything between a span of 20 and 127 days had very minimal weight loss.

Conversation specialist Patrick Aust from People for Wildlife, who is a co-author of the study, also notes that these pythons have an evolutionary slant and extreme biology toward great energy and resource efficiency. Since these snakes are ambush predators that choose prey with weights equivalent to their own, they can live for lengthy periods in between meals. Aust further notes that these snakes are very good food converters, especially for proteins. They are specialists who are capable of maximizing what little they have.

Research has shown that other animals that are farmed for consumption take longer reproduction compared to pythons. For instance, a female python can lay 50 to 100 eggs in just a year, while a mother cow can bear an average of 0.8 calves a year.

Such findings show that opting for python meat could be sustainable, though animal welfare organizations encourage a plant-based diet instead. Natusch also notes that the world is already at the point where such kinds of alternative food options need to be considered.