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  1. #1
    bcr229's Avatar
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    Snakes Can Hear You Better Than You Think

    https://www.sciencealert.com/snakes-...than-you-think

    Dare to get close enough to a snake of some kind, you'll quickly notice there's no sign of an ear for you to whisper into. Not a flap, flop, or furrow to be seen. So you might be mistaken to thinking they're a little hard of hearing.
    "Snakes are very vulnerable, timid creatures that hide most of the time, and we still have so much to learn about them," says toxinologist Christina Zdenek from the University of Queensland in Australia.
    "Because snakes don't have external ears, people typically think they're deaf and can only feel vibrations through the ground and into their bodies."
    While researchers have long known snakes are not deaf, it was thought their hearing is comparatively weak compared to their other senses like taste and sight. For example, hatchling pine snakes (Pituophis melanoleucus) are known to react more to visual than auditory stimulus, suggesting their hearing simply isn't up to par.
    But there's still some indication that hearing is important for the survival of many slitherers, potentially in warning of approaching predators, for example.

    Using 19 different types of snake including those that wind their way across the dirt, swing in the trees, and slide through water, Zdenek and colleagues tested sounds between 0 and 450 Hertz.
    "We played one sound which produced ground vibrations, while the other two were airborne only," explains Zdenek.
    "It meant we were able to test both types of 'hearing' – tactile hearing through the snakes' belly scales and airborne through their internal ear."
    The different groups of snakes responded to the airborne sound differently, but those in the same genus responded similarly. This suggests responses are inheritable, the team explains.
    Coastal taipan's response to the noise was a cautionary exploration movement. (Christina Zdenek)"Only the woma python tended to move toward sound, while taipans, brown snakes, and especially death adders were all more likely to move away from it," notes Zdenek.

    At up to 2.7 meters and 5 kilograms (8.9 feet and 11 pounds) the nocturnal woma python was the largest snake tested, with naturally fewer predators, so it makes sense that they're less cautious than smaller (40 grams to 2 kilograms) species that are most active during the day. These pythons also hunt comparatively larger prey – monitor lizards. The smaller snakes, despite being some of the most venomous in the world, would be targeted by day predators like raptors, monitor lizards, and feral cats.
    "Taipans may have to worry about raptor predators and they also actively pursue their prey, so their senses seem to be much more sensitive," explains Zdenek.
    That implies the response to airborne sounds could be potential avoidance behaviors, the researchers explain.
    "We know very little about how most snake species navigate situations and landscapes around the world. But our study shows that sound may be an important part of their sensory repertoire," concludes Zdenek.
    This research was published in PLOS ONE.

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  3. #2
    Bogertophis's Avatar
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    I'm so glad to see more research into snakes & how much they can hear.
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

  4. #3
    BPnet Veteran Caitlin's Avatar
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    Great update. I know I've seen some research that snakes can definitely hear within the ranges of human speech, though they hear best with lower rather than higher tones. I talk to mine all the time as part of habituating them - it just seems like one more area where we can help them become familiar with us.
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  6. #4
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    Re: Snakes Can Hear You Better Than You Think

    Quote Originally Posted by Caitlin View Post
    Great update. I know I've seen some research that snakes can definitely hear within the ranges of human speech, though they hear best with lower rather than higher tones. I talk to mine all the time as part of habituating them - it just seems like one more area where we can help them become familiar with us.
    I talk to mine too, especially if I'm holding them. I figure it can't hurt & might help- whatever works.
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

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  8. #5
    BPnet Veteran Homebody's Avatar
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    Re: Snakes Can Hear You Better Than You Think

    Quote Originally Posted by Bogertophis View Post
    I talk to mine too, especially if I'm holding them. I figure it can't hurt & might help- whatever works.
    I imagine talking to your snakes will help you develop a relationship with them in the same way talking to your plants does. As humans, it's a natural part of our bonding process. People with a better relationship with their snakes will take better care of them. If the sound of your voice also helps the snake bond with you, all the better.
    Last edited by Homebody; 02-19-2023 at 09:54 AM.
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  10. #6
    BPnet Veteran Homebody's Avatar
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    Re: Snakes Can Hear You Better Than You Think

    Quote Originally Posted by bcr229 View Post
    Coastal taipan's response to the noise was a cautionary exploration movement. (Christina Zdenek)"Only the woma python tended to move toward sound, while taipans, brown snakes, and especially death adders were all more likely to move away from it," notes Zdenek.
    Those Australian herpetologists like to live dangerously.
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  12. #7
    Registered User YungRasputin's Avatar
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    this is super neat! i always thought they were tots deaf but at the same time, my dwarf burm Mushu will come to me when i start calling his name - so i didn’t really know quite what to make of that but now it makes sense
    het for nothing but groovy

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  14. #8
    Registered User YungRasputin's Avatar
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    Re: Snakes Can Hear You Better Than You Think

    Quote Originally Posted by Homebody View Post
    Those Australian herpetologists like to live dangerously.
    lmao in the US an Australian barking tarantula is considered an advanced level T whereas in Australia it’s considered a good beginner species so i think that says a lot about the exotic game down under 🤣
    het for nothing but groovy

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  16. #9
    BPnet Veteran Caitlin's Avatar
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    Re: Snakes Can Hear You Better Than You Think

    Quote Originally Posted by YungRasputin View Post
    lmao in the US an Australian barking tarantula is considered an advanced level T whereas in Australia it’s considered a good beginner species so i think that says a lot about the exotic game down under 🤣
    Americans: "Let's go herping! Maybe we'll see something exciting!"

    Australians: "hold my beer..."
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