Pythons feed on mammals, birds and reptiles indiscriminately, but seem to prefer mammals. Roused to activity on sighting prey, the snake will advance with quivering tail and lunge with open mouth. Live prey are constricted and killed. One or two coils are thrown around the prey, holding it in a tight grip. The prey, unable to breathbreathe, succumbs and is swallowed head first. Prior to swallowing, the prey is smelt all over with the tongue. The snake is normally disinclined to move after a heavy meal, and if forced to move, hard parts may tear through the body, hence prompting some specimens to disgorge their prey if disturbed so they can escape from potential predators. After a heavy meal, a python may fast for several days or weeks, the longest recorded duration being 2 years. A lot has been said in movies and books about the danger that this snake poses to man but till date there has been no authentic case of a human being eaten by a python.
