Question:

Do snakes size up what they are about to eat by lying next to it?

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No that story is just that a story. And a rather stupid one at that. if it was going to size up it's prey before attacking it the prey would escape before it had the chance to size it. Snakes will bite and (at least with constrictors)coil they're prey and when they are done they find the head and eat it head first.

I guess the way a snake goes up and down the body until it finds the head could look like it were sizing the prey up. but thats not what it's doing at all.

I hope this has answered you question.

To Aussie - the snake was probably cold and was laying against your friend for her body heat. If thats even true, because it sounds like the same story I've heard hundreds of times. And why wasn't it in an enclosure? when a snake is left to free roam it can't get the proper heating and humidity it needs. unless the room it is free roaming was customized for the snake? but in most cases I highly doubt that.
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yes they do 1 of my friends snake did that and she went to the vet becuase the snake was laying up next to her and the vet told her to get rid of it becuase it was gonna eat her
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No they dont.

Check out this urban myths site. It lists comman stories and whether they are true or false.

http://www.snopes.com/critters/snakes/me...
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i've never heard that...did someone tell you that when your snake lay next to you or something...snakes like the body heat. i used to have a blood python that would lay on top of me for hours...we would sit in a chair and both crash out. i also had a burmese that would come lay next to me when i got down in the floor with her.
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No, never. They latch onto it before it gets away.

I'll bet I've heard that story at least 10 times now. It's BS. I've been keeping snakes for over 20 years and "never" saw any of them behave in that manner. They simply latch on to it, coil around it, and swallow it.
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