Ball pythons blowing bubbles underwater

[Bogertophis]

That's wild! My BP takes 10 minutes to eat sometimes, I can't imagine him holding his breath that long. I thought that when they ate they could still breathe through their glottis like a snorkel? I've also seen snakes flicking their tongues underwater so I wonder if they can actually smell anything or if it's just instinctive haha...

My bad, you're right about them breathing while eating- it's just that their food doesn't get inhaled.
As far as flicking their tongue underwater, sometimes seems like it's a habit, but then again, maybe they can also taste the water? They need to develop speech and explain all this to us, lol. BTW, sources vary about how long snakes can hold their breath, & it's not the same for all species, but the range I've seen goes from several minutes to 20 minutes or even an hour. I'd imagine sea snakes are some of the best at holding their breath, but also the giant constrictors like anacondas that easily hunt in rivers.