The present study was carried out to provide insight into the body composition of snakes, which is an important basis for determination of nutrient requirement and physiological processes. Carcasses of 86 captive snakes (31 pythons, 32 colubrids and 23 boas) were available for analysis. Skins and vertebrae bones of 11 snakes and livers of 64 snakes were analysed separately from the carcasses. Crude nutrients, major minerals and trace elements were investigated. The content of crude nutrients of the whole body was similar to those of mammals and birds. Relatively high contents of copper, zinc and especially of iron (up to 23,973 mg/kg dry matter) were found in the body, particularly in the liver. There was an increase of the iron content of the whole body over age.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.