For biologists and engineers alike, the question of just how much force a snake can exert has long been of interest.
A team of researchers sought to answer this very question by measuring the constriction force of a 23-foot Reticulated Python named Sophia. The challenge, however, was not in asking the question, but in designing an experiment that could measure the snake’s strength accurately.
Luckily, Omega Engineering experts and our comprehensive selection of pressure measurement technology were there to help.
The Challenge
Reticulated pythons are one of the world’s largest snakes, averaging between 10 to 20 feet long. While these ambush hunters typically hunt chickens, ducks, rats, domestic cats, dogs, and pigs, there have been cases of human attacks as well. When one such attack occurred recently on an Indonesian field worker, ICON films wanted to know just how much force reticulated pythons exert during constriction—and they wanted to film the answer live.
To help, they turned to Dr. Scott Boback, an associate professor of biology at Dickinson College in Pennsylvania, who specializes in herpetology – the branch of zoology that focuses on the study of amphibians and reptiles.
“It may be a 14-year-old boy’s dream to conduct a field test like this,” said Dr. Boback, “But for me, it’s also a fascinating question in science— ‘How do constricting snakes kill their prey?’”
While he hadn’t conducted such a test before on pythons, Dr. Boback and his partner, Dr. Charles Zwemer – also an associate professor of biology at Dickinson College – had conducted similar tests on boa constrictors in their lab. The trick would be figuring out how to make such a test work out in the field.
Challenge
• How much force reticulated pythons exert during constriction
• Recreate a hydraulic system with light-weight equipment
“When you’re measuring how much force is applied,” said Dr. Boback, “One of the ideal things to use would be a liquid like in a hydraulic system.” However, his lab equipment was too big and bulky to take into the field, and he needed another way to recreate a hydraulic system with light-weight equipment.
Using Pressure Transducers to Overcoming Challenges in Measurement
Solution
• Create a closed circuit hydraulic system• A pressure transducer with USB connection
• A laptop
• High-pressure tubing
• Inner tube from a small tractor filled with water
Measuring the constriction force of a snake is no simple task; and to gather the necessary data, the Dickinson College team partnered with pressure technology experts from the Omega Engineering team.
Working together, the teams designed a hydraulic circuit consisting of a small inner tube, filled with hydraulic fluid, connected to high-pressure tubing, which in turn led to an Omega High-Accuracy Pressure Transducer.
This was linked to a laptop running Omega’s data logging software, enabling real-time monitoring of pressure exerted by the snake.
The next step was to find a snake. Dr. Boback and Dr. Zwemer met the ICON film team in Boston and then drove to the New England Reptile Distributers, home to a 23-foot-long female reticulated python named Sophia.
Once introduced to Sophia (and the rest of the New England Reptile Distributers team), the team was ready to commence testing. To start with, they carefully inserted the inner tubing of the hydraulic system just beneath the skin of the test subject that the snake would attack, in this case a cadaver pig.
As the snake wrapped its coils around the pig, Dr. Boback measured the pressure on the inner tube tire filled with water he had inserted inside the pig’s chest.
The Results: A Surprising Discovery
Results
• The snake generated almost 300 millimeters of mercury• Just under 6 pounds of pressure per square inch (psi) during constriction
• Dr. Boback thinks they could be even stronger
When Sophia wrapped herself around the pig, the team found that she exerted a circumferential pressure of about 300 millimeters of mercury (mmHg)—roughly equivalent to 6 PSI. While this might not sound like much at first glance, Dr. Boback pointed out the significant impact this pressure can have on internal organs.
“There’s a myth that snakes squeeze their prey until they can’t breathe anymore, but that’s not accurate,” Dr. Boback explained. “300 millimeters may seem modest, but it can cause considerable internal damage very quickly in a live animal.”
This result, while revealing, also raised further questions about the true strength of these serpents - questions waiting to be solved by the engineers of tomorrow (with the help of Omega experts).
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