How do snakes consume animals so much bigger than they are? - Niko Zlotnik episode artwork

EPISODE · Jun 25, 2026 · 9 MIN

How do snakes consume animals so much bigger than they are? - Niko Zlotnik

from TED-Ed · host TED-Ed

Explore how snakes evolved, and find out how their jaw-dropping anatomy allows them to take down prey several times their size.--Since slithering onto the scene some 150 million years ago, evolving length and limbless-ness out of their ancestral lizard forms, snakes have diversified rapidly. Their noodly bodies and flexible heads granted them access to novel places and prey. And today, there are nearly 4,000 snake species, spanning habitats high and low. Niko Zlotnik explores how snakes evolved into incredible predators.Lesson by Niko Zlotnik, directed by Anna Benner.Support Our Non-Profit Mission----------------------------------------------Support us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreonCheck out our merch: http://bit.ly/TEDEDShop----------------------------------------------Connect With Us----------------------------------------------Sign up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletterFollow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFacebookFind us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdTwitterPeep us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/TEDEdInstagram----------------------------------------------Keep Learning----------------------------------------------View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-do-snakes-swallow-animals-so-much-bigger-than-they-are-niko-zlotnikDig deeper with additional resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-do-snakes-swallow-animals-so-much-bigger-than-they-are-niko-zlotnik/digdeeperAnimator's website: https://annabennerstudio.comMusic: https://www.tschernuth.com----------------------------------------------Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Khalifa Alhulail, Martin Stephen, Jose Henrique Leopoldo e Silva, Mandeep Singh, Abhijit Kiran Valluri, Morgan Williams, Devin Harris, Pavel Zalevskiy, Karen Goepen-Wee, Filip Dabrowski, Barbara Smalley, Megan Douglas, Tim Leistikow, Ka-Hei Law, Hiroshi Uchiyama, Mark Morris, Misaki Sato, EdoKun, SookKwan Loong, Bev Millar, Lex Azevedo, Michael Aquilina, Jason A Saslow, Yansong Li, Cristóbal Moenne, Dawn Jordan, Prasanth Mathialagan, Samuel Doerle, David Rosario, Dominik Kugelmann - they-them, Siamak Hajizadeh, Ryohky Araya, Mayank Kaul, Christophe Dessalles, Heather Slater, Sandra Tersluisen, Zhexi Shan, Bárbara Nazaré, Andrea Feliz, Victor E Karhel, Sydney Evans, Latora, Noel Situ, emily lam, Sid, Niccolò Frassetto, Mana, I'm here because of Knowledge Fight Facebook group., Linda Freedman, and Edgardo Cuellar. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Explore how snakes evolved, and find out how their jaw-dropping anatomy allows them to take down prey several times their size.--Since slithering onto the scene some 150 million years ago, evolving length and limbless-ness out of their ancestral lizard forms, snakes have diversified rapidly. Their noodly bodies and flexible heads granted them access to novel places and prey. And today, there are nearly 4,000 snake species, spanning habitats high and low. Niko Zlotnik explores how snakes evolved into incredible predators.Lesson by Niko Zlotnik, directed by Anna Benner.Support Our Non-Profit Mission----------------------------------------------Support us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreonCheck out our merch: http://bit.ly/TEDEDShop----------------------------------------------Connect With Us----------------------------------------------Sign up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletterFollow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFacebookFind us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdTwitterPeep us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/TEDEdInstagram----------------------------------------------Keep Learning----------------------------------------------View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-do-snakes-swallow-animals-so-much-bigger-than-they-are-niko-zlotnikDig deeper with additional resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-do-snakes-swallow-animals-so-much-bigger-than-they-are-niko-zlotnik/digdeeperAnimator's website: https://annabennerstudio.comMusic: https://www.tschernuth.com----------------------------------------------Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Khalifa Alhulail, Martin Stephen, Jose Henrique Leopoldo e Silva, Mandeep Singh, Abhijit Kiran Valluri, Morgan Williams, Devin Harris, Pavel Zalevskiy, Karen Goepen-Wee, Filip Dabrowski, Barbara Smalley, Megan Douglas, Tim Leistikow, Ka-Hei Law, Hiroshi Uchiyama, Mark Morris, Misaki Sato, EdoKun, SookKwan Loong, Bev Millar, Lex Azevedo, Michael Aquilina, Jason A Saslow, Yansong Li, Cristóbal Moenne, Dawn Jordan, Prasanth Mathialagan, Samuel Doerle, David Rosario, Dominik Kugelmann - they-them, Siamak Hajizadeh, Ryohky Araya, Mayank Kaul, Christophe Dessalles, Heather Slater, Sandra Tersluisen, Zhexi Shan, Bárbara Nazaré, Andrea Feliz, Victor E Karhel, Sydney Evans, Latora, Noel Situ, emily lam, Sid, Niccolò Frassetto, Mana, I'm here because of Knowledge Fight Facebook group., Linda Freedman, and Edgardo Cuellar. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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How do snakes consume animals so much bigger than they are? - Niko Zlotnik

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This episode was published on June 25, 2026.

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Explore how snakes evolved, and find out how their jaw-dropping anatomy allows them to take down prey several times their size.--Since slithering onto the scene some 150 million years ago, evolving length and limbless-ness out of their ancestral...

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