Why some snakes don't get hungry
Ghrelin and MBOAT4 are lost in Serpentes.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Ghrelin and MBOAT4 are independently lost in three distinct reptile lineages: snakes, chameleons, and toadhead agamas.
It’s rare for the same complex hormonal system to be lost separately in unrelated species—this suggests strong evolutionary pressure, not random mutation.
Practical Takeaways
None—this is purely evolutionary biology with no direct human application.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Ghrelin and MBOAT4 are independently lost in three distinct reptile lineages: snakes, chameleons, and toadhead agamas.
It’s rare for the same complex hormonal system to be lost separately in unrelated species—this suggests strong evolutionary pressure, not random mutation.
Practical Takeaways
None—this is purely evolutionary biology with no direct human application.
Publication
Journal
Open biology
Year
2026
Authors
R. Pinto, R. Ruivo, Josefin Stiller, Diogo Oliveira, L. F. Castro, R. D. da Fonseca
Related Content
Claims (4)
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.
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.
Some snakes and lizards don’t eat for months—maybe it’s because they lost two special genes that normally tell the body to feel hungry and burn energy, so they save energy better.
Snakes don’t have the genetic instructions to make a hunger hormone that other reptiles like crocodiles and chameleons do have.