As the global population increases and climate change threatens agri-food systems globally, some researchers have considered the viability of farming large pythons for human consumption. The verdict? Eating pythons could actually be a good idea. Snake steak should be on the table.
In a research paper published earlier this year, scientists from Australia, South Africa, the U.K., and Vietnam described how they measured growth rates in two species of large pythons—Burmese pythons and reticulated pythons. Both species are native to Southeast Asia.
“Pythons grew rapidly over a 12-month period, and females grew faster than males,” say the researchers. “Food intake and growth rates early in life were strong predictors of total lifetime growth, with daily mass increments ranging from 0.24 to 19.7 g/day for M. reticulatus and 0.24 to 42.6 g/day for P. bivittatus, depending on food intake.”
Pythons Are Incredibly Resilient
In addition to growing quickly, pythons are particularly resilient to long-term fasting, which could make them a reliable food source during times of shortage.
“Pythons that fasted for up to 4.2 months lost an average of 0.004% of their body mass per day, and resumed rapid growth as soon as feeding recommenced,” the paper says. Amid increasingly volatile environments for growing and producing food, this trait would be a feather in the cap of python farmers.
When it comes to food and protein conversion ratios, the researchers say pythons “outperform all mainstream agricultural species studied to date.” In layman terms, pythons turn their food into meat efficiently—much more efficiently than more traditional sources of protein like cows.
Dan Natusch, a herpetologist at Macquarie University in Australia and a lead author on the study, told Scientific American that pythons could help mitigate current and future food challenges.
“Farming pythons could be a big part of the solution for a part of the world that is already suffering from severe protein deficiency,” Natusch said.
Besides, according to Natusch, python meat is “pretty tasty and versatile.”
Would you eat a snake steak?