Can snakes sense emotions

[redshepherd]

I'm being completely genuine. As a snake lover I have always felt like they have the capacity to have moods (maybe not as strong as legitimate feelings) that influence their actions. I very much hope that my Rory will start being like your girls someday, that was such a cute story 😁

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Normal doesn't mean boring! 😊

Oh yeah, they definitely have moods and the basic emotions like primitive annoyance, contentment, hunger, fear, comfortable and uncomfortable, a level of inquisitiveness. There's a pretty wide range of intelligence between different snake species though.

[spellbound04]

There's a pretty wide range of intelligence between different snake species though.

What breeds do you personally think are the more intelligent? How would you tell? Just out of curiosity 😁

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Normal doesn't mean boring! 😊

[JodanOrNoDan]

What breeds do you personally think are the more intelligent? How would you tell? Just out of curiosity 😁

1.0 Normal
Normal doesn't mean boring! 😊

This is going to be based on what gauge you use to measure intelligence. There are different types of intelligence and even that is going to vary in different specimens of the same species. I know I definitely have animals that are smarter than others. My "smarter" animals know feeding day even before the rats come out. They will come to the front of their tubs and make it very clear that they want to be fed. My smarter ones do not try to bite me after they have been in my care for awhile and do not attempt to escape when held. My dumb ones, hide and cower in fear even on feeding day. They never learn that attempting to bite me gets them nowhere and is just a waste of energy. They do not want to come out of their tubs and then once they are out they do not want to go back in.

In certain snake species I have observed behaviors that I consider to be very stupid. A snake biting itself is dumb. A snake choking itself is dumb. The ultimate in dumb is a snake eating itself.

To me the ultimate measurement of intelligent is planning. If an animal begins to learn cause and effect you are probably dealing with a thinking animal. I have only observed something that fell into this category a couple times with ball pythons with couple specific animals in my collection. Oddly enough, these are some of the largest most docile animals in my collection. Is there a correlation, I don't know. It however seems likely. Rarely do the animals I think are a little brighter than the others have any sort of feeding problems. They are smart enough to know I am not going to eat them, that they are safe in my presence, and that I bring the food. Their intelligence overrides their natural instinct to be fearful.

As to the original question. My animals recognize one emotion in people that are attempting to handle them. That emotion is fear. I have some animals that their demeanor completely changes if they smell fear.

[Craiga 01453]

As to the original question. My animals recognize one emotion in people that are attempting to handle them. That emotion is fear. I have some animals that their demeanor completely changes if they smell fear.

Yup

[Stewart_Reptiles]

but I'd like to think maybe my little guy was feeling empathy for me

That's called anthropomorphism BP don't feel empathy, just like they don't love you or hate you and could not care less if you are there or gone and never came back. They have simple/primitive brain

However they can sense fear just like they can sense confidence and based on those they will act very differently when handled.

[spellbound04]

That's called anthropomorphism BP don't feel empathy, just like they don't love you or hate you and could not care less if you are there or gone and never came back. They have simple/primitive brain

However they can sense fear just like they can sense confidence and based on those they will act very differently when handled.

So I'm assuming they are more apprehensive around fearful people, anyone have any theories on why they would be more prone to s-ing up and going on the defensive with someone who is scared? Are they more docile with confident people because they know they are not the alpha?

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Normal doesn't mean boring! 😊

[JodanOrNoDan]

So I'm assuming they are more apprehensive around fearful people, anyone have any theories on why they would be more prone to s-ing up and going on the defensive with someone who is scared? Are they more docile with confident people because they know they are not the alpha?

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Normal doesn't mean boring! 😊

It's not an alpha thing. It is a confidence thing. Many animals can sense fear and the common reaction when an animal senses fear is to become fearful themselves.

[spellbound04]

It's not an alpha thing. It is a confidence thing. Many animals can sense fear and the common reaction when an animal senses fear is to become fearful themselves.

Ohhhhh OK, thank you

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Normal doesn't mean boring! 😊

[AbsoluteApril]

What breeds do you personally think are the more intelligent? How would you tell? Just out of curiosity ��

I wish I could recall what the show was but it was over 15 years ago... watching a documentary on snakes and they said King Cobras were the most intelligent snake and Reticulated Pythons were the most intelligent of the non-venomous snakes. However I have no idea what they used to measure 'intelligence' or what the study parameters were or how many of the various species were studied.

[JodanOrNoDan]

I wish I could recall what the show was but it was over 15 years ago... watching a documentary on snakes and they said King Cobras were the most intelligent snake and Reticulated Pythons were the most intelligent of the non-venomous snakes. However I have no idea what they used to measure 'intelligence' or what the study parameters were or how many of the various species were studied.

I watch viper keeper more than I would really like to admit, like him or not, seeing his animals is like going to a really good zoo. I have not been particularly impressed with the intelligence of his cobras, king or otherwise. I am not understanding what anyone is basing cobra intelligence on. Maybe someone that has a few will jump in with a comment.