Most intelligent snake...

My snake is the smartest! (BP)

I thought that the spitting cobra was the most inteligent reptile

Glad you mentioned the Indigos and Yellow Cribos. I have heard the same thing about them. And it helps that they are such a beautiful snake.

Definitely a species I want to work with in the next few years.

Bruce

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Originally Posted by Mendel's Balls

I have no idea which snake is the most intelligent. Keep in mind it would depend on how you define intelligence. Also consider we have trouble quantifying and operationalizing intelligence for humans.



The only organisms that are "unevolved" are those that are extinct. That's not a word you'll ever hear in scientific circles. Maybe "primitive", but keep in mind that "primitive" doesn't mean lack of evolutionary adaptations. "Primitive" just means that it split or branched off earlier. A lot of scientists use "primitive"--I guess for lack of a better term?

Dr. Bryan Fry, a venom researcher, explains:

"One thing to keep in mind is that the constricting snakes are not the most 'primitive'. They are actually quite derived in their own right. The powerful constriction is a secondary form of prey capture and the heat-seeking pits have been independently acquired twice within this clade (one time in the pythons, one time in the boas). Venom is therefore a secondary loss within this group."

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The word you're looking for is "plesiomorphic" (a comparative word meaning evolved earlier), which is a more scientifically correct term for "primitive." The word primitive can imply less intelligent or "more caveman-like" in human thinking, which is generally not accurate. For example, a lamprey is one of the most plesiomorphic chordates, yet it has been gearing towards its exact niche for many, MANY more years than humans have. So could one say that a lamprey is the more "perfected" animal?

This is why looking at when something evolved - such as colubrids evolving later than boids - is not an accurate judge of how "intelligent" an animal is. Animals evolve to fill certain niches, not because they're "getting smarter." Colubrids evolved because faster snakes could compete with the boids for food, thus filling a niche.

Out of all the snakes ive been able to get close to, IMO cobras are by far the most intelligent snakes. Just when you look into their eyes, you cant help but try and figure out what they are thinking. Just amazing animals.:)

I have been wondering this same thing ever since I've had the black rat snake in my care. The way he looks at me is amazing.

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Originally Posted by fergie

The most intelligent snake, if you could call it intelligence, would be the majority of snakes in the colubrid family.

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This is what I was wondering/thinking.

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Originally Posted by jjspirko

I would also say Black Racers seem to be about as smart as any snake. Ditmars mentions one that would crawl across the floor in the same book mentioned above and take a mouse from a keepers hand. I think it is just most are so mean that keeps most people from studying and keeping them.[/size]

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Aren't black racers related to black rat snakes?

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Originally Posted by ReptileFan

since boas and pythons are tecnically the most " unevolved" per say i would say most coulbrids are able to act and react more due to past experiences along with instinct while boas and pythons are more pure instinct.

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More primitive as someone else pointed out, but I was wondering that, too.

What the most intelligent and best pet snake in terms of handling/docility?

Everything I have read points to the king cobra. But I have to give props to my corn snakes. I would swear my large sun glow understands me. And I feel like he's trying to communicate with me most of the time. He "tells" me when he want's out of his enclosure. And let's me know when he wants to go back in. I can't really describe it, but I just sense that he is a very smart snake.

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Originally Posted by Beardo

I knew the guy who was killed by the Retic in Indiana (his name was Patrick Von Allmen). He was a member of the KY Herp Society and his demise was very unfortunate.

As far as intelligent snakes go.....I think the term "intelligence" should be used relatively when speaking about snakes. The species with the most reputation for being "smart" are Retics, Scrubs and various Elapids. I don't think I would ever associate a Boa Constrictor with being even semi-intelligent. Pure and simply, they are dumb as rocks lol.

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Boa constrictors are not dumb whatsoever...some may be just like humans...but i keep over 20 boas and 2 retics and 8 ball pythons and i've noticed that out of the three ball pythons seem to be the dumbest...i do have two that are about the same as boas, but i haven't had a boa dumb enough to try to climb a side of their tub and fall over backwards because they go to far. I personally think retics are the smartest.

melissa, i'd say racers and rat snakes are really not very closely related... Elaphe and Coluber have some pretty widely differing characteristics, both physically and behaviorly.

i'd say cobra gets my vote... for pythons though, i'd have to say barnecks seem much more intelligent than any retics i've been around.

my jcp used a sharpee and wrote out the cure for cancer on a rat, it was a shame for mankind, because he then ate the rat. very smart.