Snakes have poor eyesight compared to other reptiles, although they still see colour and ultraviolet light.
Snakes have infamously poor eyesight, which is why they resort to sticking out their tongues all the time to get a sense of their surroundings. But the creatures may have a way to improve their vision in a pinch.
Snakes are remarkably sensitive to most stimuli, but there is one sense that they seem to have almost done away with: hearing. They have no visible means for detecting airborne sound, having lost the tympanum and the external ear.
He's only blind in the eyes of the beholder. Snake-eyes... the Helen Keller of the Joe-verse. He's not blind. He's just full of that 80's, "too cool to let vision impairment stop me from this trendy eye wear" arrogance.
#8: Snakes are deaf
Although they lack eardrums, snakes possess inner ears which are able to pick up not only ground-borne vibrations but low frequency airborne sounds. They do have difficulty with sounds at a higher pitch.
Generally, reptiles do demonstrate basic emotions. According to Dr. Sharman Hoppes, clinical assistant professor at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, the main two are fear and aggression, but they may also demonstrate pleasure when stroked or when offered food.
Snakes do not cry; they do not have the anatomy to do so. Snakes do not have tear ducts like humans and other mammals, and they also have transparent scales called spectacles over their eyes. Both of which means they are unable to shed tears.
Snakes do not have an external ear, but they do have all the parts of the inner ear that we do. Their stapes—called a “columella”—is slightly different from ours in that it connects to the jawbone, enabling them to sense vibrations. However, they can only hear a portion of the sounds we hear.
Most snakes have very poor or no memories at all. This may come as a surprise given the plethora of snake-horror movies we've seen over the years. While they may be unable to recall details, it is more likely that their brains aren't built to make emotional connections to the events they encounter.
Joe shortly after Storm Shadow's believed betrayal of the Arashikage. During the accident, glass from the shattered window scarred Snake's face and damaged his vocal cords, which is what led to his permanent silence.
Snakes don't have great memory or sight, so won't recognise the look of their owner. They only have a good memory for smells as they rely on smell to locate prey in the wild.
Vipers, pythons and boas have holes on their faces called pit organs, which contain a membrane that can detect infrared radiation from warm bodies up to one metre away. At night, the pit organs allow snakes to 'see' an image of their predator or prey — as an infrared camera does — giving them a unique extra sense.
Snakes can hear sounds in the 80-600 Hz range, and since the human voice ranges from 85 – 255 Hz, snakes can indeed hear when you talk to them. They might even be able to differentiate between your voice and someone else's.
Snakes can recognize themselves
Self-recognition has long been considered an ability unique to humans and a handful of species like dolphins, chimpanzees, and elephants.
New findings suggest that when it comes to learning and cognition, the humble snake may be quite a bit more like humans than anyone had imagined. David Holtzman, a neuroscientist at the University of Rochester, has found that snakes have a much greater capacity for learning than earlier studies had indicated.
Most snakes have an excellent sense of smell, in part to make up for their poor eyesight and limited hearing.
No. The charm has nothing to do with the music and everything to do with the charmer waving a pungi, a reed instrument carved out of a gourd, in the snake's face. Snakes don't have external ears and can perceive little more than low-frequency rumbles.
Snakes and other reptiles are not social animals. They do not form communities, have friends, or even nurture their own young. Unlike mammals that can demonstrate complete emotions like love, joy, or even jealousy, snakes do not demonstrate deep feelings like these.
Snakes won't be receptive to your affection—they're wary animals who don't like being held, touched, petted, or passed around. It's stressful for them and puts them at risk of illness and injury, and because they don't whine or yelp, you may not realize that they're hurt. (See reason number 7.)
Cats, foxes, raccoons, turkeys, pigs, and guinea hens are natural predators of snakes. Having these animals on or around your property is an effective natural way to keep snakes at bay.
This narrow range of hearing isn't a problem for snakes, partly because they don't use vocalizations to communicate with each other. The vocalizations they make, such as hissing or growling, are at higher frequencies than they hear at and are probably intended for bird and mammal predators, according to the study.
Predators. The species' known predators include birds of prey and feral cats.
Because of their slow metabolisms, snakes remain conscious and able to feel pain and fear long after they are decapitated. If they aren't beheaded or nailed to a tree, they are bludgeoned and beaten.
Most reptile species have eyelids, and use them to close their eyes while they sleep. This includes everything from turtles and tortoises to crocodilians and most lizards. Snakes, however, do not have eyelids. They sleep with their eyes open, and may instead close the pupil in their eye to block out bothersome light.
Behavioural signs of pain in reptiles
The British Small Animal Veterinary Association has also documented general signs of pain in reptiles including anorexia, immobility, abnormal posture/locomotion, dull colouration, and increase in aggression (Brown and Pizzi, 2012).