Pythons' feast-and-famine life hints at new weight loss pathway

Pythons don't nibble. They chomp, squeeze, and swallow their prey whole in a meal that can approach 100% of their body weight. But even as they slither stealthily around the forest, months or even a year may pass between massive mouthfuls. This pattern of extreme feasting and fasting taxes their metabolism far beyond what humans experience on a day-to-day basis.