Do snakes have ears? Can they hear?

Some people may think that snakes are deaf because they do not show any external ears, but it was found out that snakes are able to hear at a certain level. The snake does not have eardrums, but they do have the inner structure which is complete with the cochlea, and they can hear through feeling the vibrations around the jaws while they slither on the ground. The left and right jaws of the snake are able to move, each one independent to the other one. This means that the snake is able to get the vibrations coming from either side of the jaw, and this helps in determining the origins of the sounds.

Mechanoreceptors are the sensory nerves that are found on the skin of the snakes, and they have been connected to the spinal cord. This helps the snake to feel vibrations which are found in the soil or sand. Such vibrations will move in the body and along its spinal nerve to reach to its brain, and they will be recognized like sounds. The receptors are normally sensitive and they can react to stimuli, and this enables the snake to find the sources of where the sound is coming from.

The snake is able to pick up sound waves found in the air since the skull will vibrate when a sound wave comes in contact with it. However, the snakes are able to hear low notes better than high notes. The impulses can move at once from the skull to reach to the inner ears of the snake, and the vibration will then be sensed by its brain. The snakes are able to get the sound waves from more than 50 meters away, and this helps them to catch their prey much easier.

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