How Do Thread Snakes Eat?

Thread snakes have teeth but only in their lower jaw but they still make a good chop of crunching up termites by grinding them against the hard surface of their upper jaw. After grabbing the termite by the insect's soft rear end, the lower teeth hold the termite down so that the grinding can begin. The termite is soon dead as the snake works its jaws in a rapid forward motion, sucking out the contents of the insect's body.

When it reaches the head of its prey, the thread snake writhes about and brushes it out of its mouth, not wanting to eat this hard, chitin rich part that is too indigestible.

Thread snakes track down their next termite meal but following the scent trails that the insects leave behind. The snakes are also sneaky – they produce a chemical that mimics this scent so that they can enter termite nests without detection for a good feast.