Can a snake eat a person??

[Jonny2184]

I caught the end of some snake show last night on the National Geographic Channel, and they were talking about Anacondas and Reticulated Pythons, and they were trying to figure out if it is actually possible for snake to consume a human.
They had some really good ideas how it might be possible.
They were saying that constrictors can/do kill people, but its getting the person inside that is the hard part!
They also said that a snakes mouth can open 3times the size of the snakes body, but the problem was that it can only open upwards and not really so much outwards (if you know what I mean).
They then come to the conclusion that a snake "might" be able to eat someone ONLY if that person was laying on it's side and not face down or back down. Then perhaps the snakes mouth could open wide enough...

Have any of you seen this show, or have your own opinions on the topic?

[Het4Something]

i sure think that a snake that is wide enough such as a retic or a conda could eat a person once it is full grown, or fairly big. but i dont wanna find out the hard way.

[juddb]

Id hate to be on the opposite side of that deal.... :eek:

[Jonny2184]

Yeah I agree, but I dont think they could swallow you whole! NO WAY!

[Gooseman]

Yes it's possible. Our shoulders make it a difficult prospect, but I believe I read somewhere that a giant 16 ft or longer should in theory be able to get around our shoulders and swallow us whole.

[WingedWolfPsion]

I believe quite a few years back a huge wild retic swallowed a very short slender man. It was all over the news and web for a while.
Anacondas are generally believed not to be able to do it, but retics very well might.

[AzureN1ght]

I saw the show you're talking about! I think that it depends on the size of the snake and the size of a person. A small woman or child wouldn't have the very wide shoulders of an adult male. *shrugs* All I know is, even if Auryn gets that ambitious, he's going to have a REALLY hard time eating me. Retics are gorgeous, but I'd never be able to handle one--I'll leave that to the experts!

[Hardwikk]

The only reports of such an event are with young children. "Oooh, a pink cave!". CHOMP! These sort of attacks are very rare. That's why they always makes headlines!

[TheresaBearden]

I believe it is not possible for a large snake to eat a grown person-we have a 17 foot burm who weighs 135 lbs and I don't believe she could eat an adult. She could however swallow a small child or infant.

[NightLad]

I think it is possible if the person is small, like an adult of small stature or a child.

I have seen several pictures of large snakes caught in the wild and killed/opened with a human corpse inside. None have been proven. Snoops.com has one such set of pictures that have never been verified yet make the internet rounds nonetheless... but please be warned that the photos are VERY GRAPHIC and not meant for young/impressionable/sensitive viewers. Snake Eats Man 1

Here is another set of pictures, although I have no clue of their authenticity. You decide, and the same warnings apply! Snake Eats Man 2

This link has the same photos as #1, but if you scroll to the bottom of the page it has a photo of a (reportedly) reticulated python trying to eat a human. The head is in, but the shoulders proved too much of a challenge. Again, VERY GRAPHIC: Snake Eats Man 3

Finally, I found a series of pictures of a snake eating a Kangaroo. Not a small 'roo either. If a snake can handle this, than it can surely handle a child! Snake Eats Roo