Snakes don’t have the genetic instructions to make a hunger hormone that other reptiles like crocodiles and chameleons do have.

7

Pro

0

Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

7

Community contributions welcome

7

Ghrelin and MBOAT4 are lost in Serpentes.

Cross-Sectional Study

Animal

2026 Feb 4

Scientists found that snakes don’t have the genes needed to make the 'hunger hormone,' but crocodiles do — just like the claim said. Chameleons also lost the genes, which is extra info but doesn’t change the main point.

Contradicting (0)

0

Community contributions welcome

No contradicting evidence found

Gold Standard Evidence Needed

According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

Similar Assertions

Scientists found that certain reptiles—like snakes, chameleons, and toadhead agamas—don’t have the gene that makes the ‘hunger hormone’ ghrelin, which means they probably lost it over time as they evolved.

7

0

75%

In certain reptiles like snakes and chameleons, both a hormone called ghrelin and the enzyme that turns it on have disappeared together over time — as if nature turned off the whole system at once.

7

0

72%