US EditionNew 'Bone-Digesting' Cell Type Discovered in Pythons
NO LOC, JUL 9 – Researchers discovered specialized intestinal cells in pythons and boas that digest bones to extract calcium and manage intake, a process also found in Gila monsters, study shows.
- Researchers led by Jehan-Hervé Lignot discovered a new specialized intestinal cell in Burmese pythons that digests their prey's skeletons, published June 25, 2025.
- The study emerged because snakes require bones in their diet for calcium, yet the cellular process managing excess calcium remained unclear prior to this research.
- Scientists used microscopy to compare pythons fed whole prey, boneless prey, and boneless prey with calcium supplements, finding calcium-, phosphorus-, and iron-rich spheroids in a narrow cell type unique to these reptiles.
- Lignot explained that their goal was to understand how pythons manage and regulate the large amounts of calcium absorbed through their intestinal lining, and emphasized that no bone fragments were detected in the snakes’ feces.
- The discovery suggests these cells prevent calcium overload and may exist in other reptiles and marine predators, implying a wider evolutionary adaptation to digesting bones safely.
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Pythons can devour bones thanks to unique stomach cells
Few predators swallow their prey whole. Even fewer can digest their meals with bones and all. But for some reptiles like the Burmese python (Python bivittatus), calcium-rich skeletons aren’t a digestive concern—they’re a necessity. Herpetologists have spent years trying to understand how bones are not only safe and healthy for the serpents, but how their biology manages to regulate when and how many bones to digest. Now, researchers believe they…
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Leaning Left2Leaning Right0Center5Last UpdatedBias Distribution71% Center
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71% Center
L 29%
C 71%
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