Regarding Marcus Atilius Regulus

[Paullus Scipio]

At first sight, I thought perhaps another debate was in the offing, but on reading on, I see that we are largely in agreement ! D
I shall confine comment to a few by-the-by's therefore........

The notion that they get stuck on the shoulders is funny. I saw that on a discovery channel show, which perhaps you saw as well. They didn't bother to try it with the snake swallowing a man feet-first. You will read that snakes swallow head first, but anyone who has owned one knows this is not true 100 % of the time.

....it matters not which way round the snake tries to swallow, apparently the snake's jaws simply won't open wide enough to admit adult human shoulders. If the snake were to be dumb enough to try narrow/feet end first, it would probably end up choking to death ( the snake can't regurgitate, because all it's teeth, including those on the roof of it's mouth, point backward). Anyway, lots of soldiers is preposterous ( while it slowly tried to devour one, the others would hack it to pieces....)

We had a 5 meter Burmese python eat a 3 meter alligator here a few years ago and burst opened.

....yeah, I read about that. Snake digestion is a very slow process, and if the snake attempts too ambitious a meal, then putrefaction can set in first, and kill the snake.......
I have watched a Vet here cut open a large Python's stomach to remove a rotting Possum, in order to save the snake's life....

Be careful searching things like this- you are quoting the modern range. There is good evidence for P. sebae in North Africa in ancient times. Remember that Loxodonta cyclotis is a "sub-saharan" species as well on modern maps. Libya was a very different place back then.

....actually, I am not quoting the 'modern' range. There is indeed evidence for P.sebae in N. Africa in 'ancient' times, but not later than the pre-historic Eocene period! (54.8-33.7 million years ago). As I said, apparently the environment of North Africa simply couldn't support such creatures, even 2,000 or so years ago. And mammals such as elephants are known to have existed in Libya then. Megafauna such as Giant Reptiles did not.......

but there is more reason to accept that the Romans came across a 5-7 meter snake, or the skin of one in sime village, than to assume the story is some sorf of allegory.

...which is much the same as I said for the origin of such a fable........ D