From instinct to experience: understanding feeding behaviour in Python regius (Shaw, 1802)

Research on the cognitive abilities and behaviour of reptiles is quite limited, largely due to the challenges in accurately quantifying and interpreting observations made in both natural and controlled settings. This limitation is particularly notable in the study of snakes, where investigations into the cognitive skills of this suborder are scarce. In this study, we focused on the feeding behaviour of young Python regius specimens to explore whether these behaviours are purely instinctual or if they involve learning and/or using previously acquired knowledge. We observed eight naive juvenile individuals to analyse their feeding behaviour. Our hypothesis proposed that as these snakes gained experience in the first month of their lives, their feeding efficiency would improve. We recorded and analysed the time allocated to various stages of their feeding behaviours during their initial four feedings. The findings we obtained were unexpected and partially contradicted our initial assumptions. Ultimately, we concluded that the feeding efficiency in these reptiles presents a complex interplay of instinct, past experiences, and certain factors that remain challenging to explain within the framework of existing specialised literature. Keywords: Ball pythons, feeding behaviour, feeding efficiency, snake learning, time budget.