Do Snakes Have Ears? How Do Snakes Detect What's Around Them?

Snakes, also known as serpents, are carnivorous reptiles with a long, slender bodies but no legs. 

Though snakes are limbless, they are efficient hunters with specialized sensory tools for catching and hunting prey. Isn't it incredible?

Humans perceive snakes as threatening, which results in fear or disgust. But these slithery creatures are essential to our ecosystem. They are both predators and prey to numerous creatures, thus playing an integral role in nurturing healthy balance in the environment.

Despite the negative attention, some species of snakes are commonly kept as pets and can make excellent companion animals that require minimal care. Like all pet animals, snakes also require a proper diet, water, and suitable shelter to cope with appropriate temperatures.

Snakes sustain pretty much anywhere in the world. They survive in various habitats, including forests, deserts, grasslands, swamps, and water. They are ectotherms that regulate their body temperature. Some snakes hibernate during the winters.

Snakes have the most potent chemosensory devices than all other animals. They utilize visual and chemical stimuli during hunting. Some snakes, especially pit vipers and pythons, have specialized infrared receptors or pit organs, which are extremely sensitive to slight temperature changes. These heat receptors are used to detect warm-blooded prey based on the animal's body heat.

Did you know snakes cannot bite food but have flexible jaws, which allow them to swallow even bigger prey as a whole! Scroll down to get more exciting information about snakes.

Did you like reading our content so far, then explore our other articles are snakes deaf? and are snakes invertebrates?

Do rattlesnakes have ears?

Snakes lack external ears, but they have internal ears. Isn't it surprising? Unlike humans or most other reptiles, they do not have pinna(outer ear), ear canals, or eardrums, but they have well-formed inner ear structures.

All snakes species, including rattlesnakes, have internal ears connected to the jaw bone called the quadrate bone. Thus, while they slither on the ground, their jaws move slightly in response to the ground vibrations.

For years, it was believed that snakes could recognize only ground vibrations. They detect these vibrations due to their spinal nerves that cause the quadrate bone to vibrate, called somatic hearing.

Researchers have now shown that the quadrate bone in their jaws could even respond to airborne vibrations (sound waves) along with ground vibrations. Like in other animal ears, these vibrations are transmitted via bones to the inner ear, and then signals reach the brain that is interpreted as sound.

Do snakes have sensitive ears?

All snakes have the same ear anatomy, so it is assumed that all snakes have the same hearing ability. As the snakes are habituated in various environments, it is potentially possible for them to hear multiple ranges of sounds.

It is a common misconception that snakes cannot hear, but they have powerful ear bones in their head that are useful in hearing. A snake's ears are sensitive to low-frequency vibrations. But their sensitivity to airborne sound waves is limited.

Studies show that snakes can hear sounds within the range of 80-600 Hz, while some species can hear up to 1000 Hz. When compared, humans can hear between 20-20,000 Hz. Thus snakes can't hear in the same way as humans do.

In contrast, snakes are more sensitive to feeling. Even if something moves on the ground from a distance, they can precisely feel vibratory sensations through their spinal nerves and easily detect their location. This is how they are aware of their approaching predators or any other animals.

Learning how humans hear may help in understanding how snakes hear. In humans, the ear has three major parts - the external ear, middle ear, and internal ear.

When a sound is heard, the outer ear focuses it on the eardrum (tympanic membrane), then the middle ear passes the sound from the eardrum to the inner ear through vibrations. Further, the inner ear transforms these vibrations into nerve impulses that are transmitted to the brain.

However, snakes have the inner ear connected to their jaw. So, this type of ear setup enables snakes to hear vibrations of narrow range frequencies but not high-frequency sounds transmitted through the air. According to research, a royal python can hear frequencies between 80 - 160 Hz.

Do snakes have good hearing?

Like snakes, many reptiles have no visible outer ears when compared to most mammals. Yet, all reptiles have the ability to hear sounds to some degree. Likewise, all species of snakes hear though they have the least developed sense of hearing.

Earlier scientists believed that snakes were deaf as they lacked external ear structure and could not hear sounds. However, after years of research, it is proven that snakes have an inner ear with a different mechanism. This kind of mechanism help snakes hear low frequency and are not good at hearing sounds transmitted through the air.

Though snakes don't have sensitive hearing, they are gifted with other senses like smell, taste, touch, and sight, which helps them in many ways. These senses are uniquely developed depending on the snake species to suit its particular habitat. They aid the snakes to detect prey, keep off danger, thrive in different environments, and find a mate.

Do snakes have internal ears?

After research, scientists believe that snakes are actually not deaf and discovered other ways that help snakes hear or sense sounds. The latest evidence proves that snakes can sense the minute vibrations of the land surface caused by the approaching predator or prey.

Snakes have internal ears but do not have external ears like other animals. Right behind their eyes, on the sides of their head, snakes have tiny ear openings. Inside each ear-hole, there will be a functional inner ear without an eardrum or middle ear.

According to new studies, it is clear that snakes can grab sound waves airborne sound waves because they cause vibrations in the snake's skull that are heard in their inner ear. So, if you are petting a snake, don't be surprised if your pet snake responds to your call!

Do reptiles have ear wax?

Snakes are bestowed with an excellent sense of smell to compensate for their limited hearing and poor eyesight. They possess highly advanced chemosensing. Snakes do not smell with nostrils; instead, they smell with a vomeronasal organ (Jacobson's organ) present on their mouth.

A snake's forked tongue has fewer receptors to taste. Therefore, using their tongues, they grab scent particles from the surrounding atmosphere or ground. Once the tongue is sucked back into the mouth, the Jacobson's organ detects these smells and transmits them to the brain.

Reptiles like snakes, lizards, turtles do not have visible external ears but have inner ears. The reptile's jawbones evolved to form a typical bone for their inner ear.

Earwax is generally produced in the outer ear canal, but reptiles do not possess the eardrum. There is no research or evidence of this; it is assumed that reptiles do not have ear wax. However, turtles are most likely prone to ear infections.

We often see videos from India where snakes dance to the snake charmer's music, played using an instrument called pungi. The snakes usually used in this performance are cobras.

It is believed that the music captures the snake's attention, but in fact, the snake follows the movement of the instrument and the snake charmer. It considers them as a threat and responds to it. However, as per recent laws, it is illegal, and these performances are no longer seen.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for do snakes have ears, then why not take a look at are snakes nocturnal? or are ringneck snakes poisonous?