can snakes see different colors?

[superpastel37]

and if so howl broad a spectrum? just curious.

[mpkeelee]

I think they can only see black and white and it isn't to good anyway. They rely on their heat pits and smell.

[snakesonaplane]

No, snakes don't see colors, and pythons have the labial pit to assist them in sensing the heat of objects. They see in black and white, and depending on species, tend to process light and dark a bit differently. Pythons, in particular, have better vision and depth perception as the rods and cones in they pupils tend to provide a clearer image than other snake species (which rely solely on odors in the air to hunt for prey, since they spend most of their time underground).

Rest assured, your snake can see you and taste you just fine, just not in color...in fact, that's how they learn to relax with frequent handling. They familiarize themselves with your odor and don't freak out as much. For example, I wash my hands with lemon scented soap before I handle my snake and she seems relaxed then. But if I switch to another brand or type of soap, she tends to stay coiled up for a 5-10 minutes before she starts wandering around. So, their sense of sight and taste work in unison...even though my python could see me fine, the taste was different, so she was a bit more nervous.

Oops, I think I went off on a tangent...

tl;dr They only see in black and white

[Alicia]

Actually, the answer is, maybe. So I don't paraphrase, this is from Ball Pythons: History, Natural History, Care, and Breeding by the Barkers, page 27:
"The visual pigments found in the rods and cones overlap their sensitivities to particular wave lengths, creating the possibility that ball pythons may be able to descriminate color."

Also:
"More interestingly, the visual pigments found in one of the cone types are very sensative to ultraviolet light, allowing ball pythons to see beyond the range of visible light for humans."

Remember, too, the information they get from their heat pits is processed in the visual centers of their brains. The infrared is a visual image to them. Do they see in the same vibrant colors that we do? Probably not . . . But I'm pretty willing to bet that they see in color nonetheless.

Now I suppose I should probably head over to the new member forum and say introduce myself

[CuddlztheBP]

I was actually wondering that too, my ball seems to avoid the tattoo on my forearm, however it is a grey scale tattoo was kinda wondering just how much detail "she" could see. That and she never seems to be bothered by the cat sitting beside her tank and watching her. (The cat is supervised)