Feeding and diet thumb|upright|African egg-eating snake eating an eggthumb|upright|Dolichophis jugularis preying on a sheltopusik thumb|Eastern hognose hooding. All snakes are strictly carnivorous, preying on small animals including lizards, frogs, other snakes, small mammals, birds, eggs, fish, snails, worms, and insects. Snakes cannot bite or tear their food to pieces so must swallow their prey whole. The eating habits of a snake are largely influenced by body size; smaller snakes eat smaller prey. Juvenile pythons might start out feeding on lizards or mice and graduate to small deer or antelope as an adult, for example.
Feeding and diet thumb|upright|African egg-eating snake eating an eggthumb|upright|Dolichophis jugularis preying on a sheltopusik thumb|Eastern hognose hooding. All snakes are strictly carnivorous, preying on small animals including lizards frogs, other snakes, small mammals, birds, eggs, fish, snails, worms and insects. Snakes c,annot bite or tear their food to pieces so must swallow their prey whole. The eating habits of a snake are largely influenced by body siz,e; smaller snakes eat smaller prey. Juvenile pythons might start out feeding on lizards or mice and graduate to small deer or antelope as an adult, for example.