08/31/2026
Welcome back to another 🐍! When someone wakes up in the morning, the first stimulus many hear is the sound of an alarm. Humans and other animals have designated pinnae (the external part of the ear) to pick up these sounds and process them through their ear canal. Some species, such as snakes, do not have the luxury of pinnae, and instead they use a different method to hear things around them.
Now you may be wondering how the snake can hear if there is not a place for the sound waves to travel into. Despite not appearing like they have ears, snakes have adapted methods that allow them to hear certain frequencies. Instead of using an eardrum, they have a bone in their jaw called the quadrate, which vibrates when it picks up sound traveling through the air. Given that snakes have a limited range of hearing using this method, they rely on their other senses to provide environmental information as well. A good example of this is their constant tongue flicking to smell what is around them and large eyes to see any prey or potential predators.
Overall, snakes have so many unique adaptations to surviving and thriving, and there is still much more to cover. Feel free to comment down below and let us know if there are any other snake features you would like to see us cover or if you have questions!
📷 Photo by: jakescott (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/316116698)
