Woman Swallowed By Python: Python swallowed middle aged woman completely after she went to collect rubber sap and never came home, villagers found her body inside after spiltting its belly open
Few fears are as old as our fear of snakes. Even people who have never seen one in the wild feel a small jolt when they spot a coiled shape on a normal path. The feeling is so thoroughly engraved in our minds that if we spot one in reality, it almost sends chills down our spines.While snakes are mostly feared for their venomous reputation, an incident in Indonesia flips the script of what we imagine about snakes.A woman in her 50s was swallowed whole by a huge python, and her body was found intact when locals slit the snake’s belly open.Let’s dig in to find out what exactly happened and if this is even possible in reality.
A woman was swallowed whole by a 5-meter-long python
The story goes back to October 2022, when a woman named Jahrah, in her 50s went to tap rubber sap in Betara, in Jambi province, Sumatra, and did not return home after sunset. According to a BBC report, her husband found some of her clothes and tools at the plantation that night, which led to a search party.What the villagers found next was shockingThe next morning, searchers spotted a python with a large stomach, which was suspected to have eaten her. It was then killed, and her body was inside. Local police chief AKP S Harefa told CNN Indonesia, “The victim was found in the snake’s stomach.” He also said her body was not destroyed, which suggested she had been swallowed only recently. Villagers cut the snake open to confirm who was inside.
Can a python really do this?
Even though such cases are very rare, but this is indeed true. Mary-Ruth Low of Wildlife Reserves Singapore told the BBC: “In essence they can go as large as their prey goes.” she added that pythons eating animals as big as a cow is not unusual.
How does a python eat human beings?
It sounds impossible, but it comes down to some clever snake anatomy. According to Science Focus, a python swallows its prey whole, headfirst, and its skull is built to take in animals much wider than its own head. Part of the secret is the jaw. The lower jaw is made of two separate halves joined by a stretchy ligament; this helps a python open its mouth as wide as its skin can stretch. Swallowing headfirst also makes the meal go down more smoothly, with less friction.Once the meal is inside, digestion takes time. It can take up to a month, and then the snake’s stomach acid and enzymes break down everything, bones and teeth all together.
