How does walk feeding work in boas and pythons?

Boas and pythons utilize a specialized feeding method known as "walk feeding" to swallow prey that is often much larger than their own heads. This process is made possible by the snake's highly flexible skull, which features multiple joints and elastic ligaments that allow the mouth and throat to expand significantly.12

In walk feeding, the snake's four jaw arches—the upper left, upper right, lower left, and lower right—move independently of one another. The snake effectively "walks" its jaws over the prey by disengaging one jaw arch and moving it forward to secure a new grip, while the other three arches remain fixed to hold the prey in place. This cycle repeats in a specific order, gradually pulling the prey into the throat. Because the two halves of the lower jaw are not fused at the chin, they can also move independently, further facilitating the ingestion of large meals.12