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Can snakes perceive time?

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  • 06-03-2013, 05:11 PM
    nachash
    Can snakes perceive time?
    I was reading this page in wikipedia about the psychology of time perception, and it had to do with humans. It was very interesting and one section posed the idea that people might perceive time to move faster with age (the older you are the quicker time seems to flow)

    This got me thinking about how animals perceive time, especially snakes. Every care sheet or article you read talks about a regular lighting schedule to ensure animal stability. I just wonder how a snake perceives time. They base their decision making on supporting a lower metabolism than a mammal, giving a snake a lower calorie imperative. If there is less energy turn over in a snake's body because of a lower metabolic rate, would this give a snake a slower perception of time? I think it is an important question because it leads into the notion of whether a snake can become impatient, which is a behavior meant to affect an organism's time-management, extremely important for survival.
  • 06-03-2013, 07:19 PM
    Centexsnakes
    That is a very good question! Never thought about that.
  • 06-03-2013, 07:55 PM
    Archimedes
    In some way, they must. A lot of people have witnessed the feeding-eve cruise, once their snake is on a feeding schedule of sorts. They know that it's about that time.
  • 06-07-2013, 06:59 PM
    UltraViolet
    Re: Can snakes perceive time?
    I had a Rainbow that got out of its cage a few times. Saturday afternoon was feeding time without fail the entire time I had him- and every time he got out, without fail come Saturday afternoon he'd be waiting outside my bedroom door. I don't know how he perceived time, but he sure knew when to come home for dinner!
  • 06-07-2013, 08:45 PM
    OctagonGecko729
    They do in the same way we naturally do, with circadian rythms.
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