Abstract
Brown tree snakes (Boiga irregularis, n=23) were observed swallowing rodent meals of varying mass, expressed as percentage of snake body weight. The number of mandibular protractions (MPs) as a measure of swallowing effort was recorded. The relation between MPs and meal size was linear, but the slope was significantly shallower than that obtained in earlier studies with nonvipers. Thus, although B. irregularis is not a viper, its swallowing ability is quite comparable with that seen in wide-headed, stout-bodied vipers. It is proposed that the triangular-shaped head of B. irregularis facilitates the ingestion of large prey
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