How do snakes swallow animals so much bigger than they are?

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Niko Zlotnik |

TED-Ed

• April 2026

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. [Directed by Anna Benner, narrated by Adrian Dannatt, music by Raphael Tschernuth].