Water is vital for life. But as our climate changes, the availability of water is also changing, leaving animals with limited or unreliable supplies of this critical resource. However, a new Arizona State University study shows for the first time that animals may be able to use their own muscles to get water when it’s not available.

The researchers studied the effects of water deprivation on the reproductive efforts of female Children’s pythons, a medium-sized snake that reproduces during the dry-season in Australia, where natural water sources are extremely limited. They found that muscles play an important role in providing water to the body when none is available.