Ecologists suggest breeding large snakes for meat production

Researchers have discovered that reticulated and dark tiger snakes, two popular snake species in Southeast Asia, gain weight rapidly despite the small amounts of food they eat.

Researchers point out that these snakes eat a small amount of food during the first 12 months of their lives, but they grow very quickly.

Scientific Reports magazine indicates that researchers from Australia, Vietnam, and South Africa measured the growth of dark-colored reticulated and tiger snakes, and it became clear to them that they grow quickly and increase in weight in the first year of their lives, which allows them to be raised on special farms to produce meat with minimal harm to nature.

According to them, this applies in particular to female reticulated lizards, whose weight increases by 19 grams every day. As for female dark tiger snakes, they gain 42 grams per day.

The researchers concluded while observing snakes at two exotic animal farms in Vietnam and Thailand. Reptiles are 90 percent more energy efficient than mammals and birds, which, according to them, allows them to be used to produce meat at lower costs.

Scientists' observation showed that the snakes grew very quickly even when they were fed approximately once a week on the remains of processed animal meat and food.