Snakes are easy to identify due to their unique bodies. They have no limbs and slither to move, and even more distinctively, some snake species are venomous. However, if you take a closer look at these reptiles, one unique facial feature, or the lack thereof, stands out from the rest: snakes do not seem to have any ears.
Their heads are usually round or triangular and are always ear-free. We’ve all believed that snakes can hear because they react to humans’ approach and loud sounds. But can snakes hear, or are they deaf? Do snakes have ears, or do they depend on some sort of sixth sense? And if they have ears, where are they located? Let’s get right into it.
Can Snakes Hear or Are They Deaf?
Despite not having visible ears, snakes are not deaf.
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Snakes aren’t deaf. They primarily detect vibrations through the ground rather than hearing airborne sounds like mammals. Studies have further proven that a snake’s hearing accommodates sounds in the 80 to 600 Hz range, although some snakes hear up to 1000 Hz. For reference:
- Humans: 20 to 20,000 Hz
- Dogs: 67 to 45,000 Hz
- Cats: 48 to 85,000 Hz
Do Snakes Have Ears?
Most mammals — including humans — have three major ear parts: the inner ear, the middle ear, and the outer ear. The part we can see and touch is the outer ear. However, a simple look at any snake will confirm it doesn’t have an outer ear. Instead, they actually have a single middle ear bone and an inner ear. The internal ear is responsible for processing sounds.
The middle ear transmits sounds to the inner ear through vibrations. Upon reception, the vibrations are turned into nerve impulses that are sent to the brain. This allows snakes to hear and detect prey or predators crawling toward them. However, as you might imagine, they aren’t great at picking up airborne sounds.
Can Snakes See?
Snakes can see, but not all of them have good eyesight.
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Most snakes have poor eyesight because they rely on their other senses. However, some snakes have adapted to daytime hunting and consequently have better vision. For example, the racers and coachwhips of North America have great vision.
Some snakes, such as pythons, vipers, and boas, have infrared organ pits on their faces, allowing them to detect their prey’s presence and movement through infrared radiation.
How Do Snakes Make Up For Their Poor Hearing and Eyesight?
Snakes can have an excellent sense of smell.
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As we’ve explained, snakes do not have the best hearing or eyesight. What they have instead is an excellent sense of smell. Snakes have an extremely good sense of smell, which is why strong odors disorient them. Most snake-repelling plants are strong-smelling.
Snakes have noses but do not use them to detect scents. Instead, they smell with their tongues and an organ called the Jacobson’s organ. When they flick their tongues in the air, they gather chemicals in the air, which they rapidly submit to the Jacobson organ. Since smells are made of chemicals, interpreting these chemicals allows them to “smell” rather well. They can smell their prey, predators, or even their way home.
However, you might be wondering what snakes do with their noses if they do not use them to smell with. Snakes use their noses for a very important function — breathing.
They take in air through their noses, but because they do not have a diaphragm, they use the muscles between their ribs. When the muscles contract, the air is forced in, and when they relax, the air is let out. Like humans, snakes take in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide. Without breathing, like all living beings, they would die.
