Sienna Rhodes
Snakes have long been believed to be silent creatures, a belief summed up in the phrase silently slithering snake. However, snakes do make sounds, and some of them can indicate danger. Snakes do not possess well-developed vocal cords, but they can produce a range of noises, from hissing and rattling to rubbing their scales together to create a dry, raspy sound. Some snakes, like the pine snake, have a laryngeal septum, which allows them to create a shrieking sound. Snakes also communicate through body language, such as periscoping, where they raise the front third of their body when curious. Additionally, snakes can hear sounds, including those travelling through the air, and they react differently to various frequencies. While they lack external ears and eardrums, they perceive sound through sound-induced vibrations that travel through their bodies and the ground.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Snakes have vocal cords | Only bull snakes and pine snakes have vocal cords. |
| Snakes make sounds | Snakes make sounds like hissing, rattling, wheezing, clicking, growling, shrieking, and farting. |
| Snakes hear sounds | Snakes can hear sounds through sound-induced vibrations that travel through the ground and their bodies. They can also hear airborne sounds. |
| Snakes respond to sounds | Snakes respond to sounds by exhibiting behaviours like periscoping, moving away, and striking. |
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What You'll Learn
Snakes can hear sounds
Research has confirmed that snakes possess airborne hearing and can distinguish between different frequencies, with a range of up to 450 hertz. They respond differently to sounds, depending on their species. For example, death adders, brown snakes, and taipans tend to move away from sounds, which may be an avoidance behaviour to prevent being trampled by larger animals.
Snakes can hear low-frequency sounds, typically below 600 Hz, which includes the frequency range of the human voice (100-250 Hz). They have been observed to respond to loud human voices and screams, indicating that they can hear people speaking at normal volumes as well, although this has not been specifically tested.
While snakes do not possess vocal cords and are mostly silent, they can produce a range of sounds, including hissing, rattling, and rubbing their scales together. These noises are often used to scare away predators or signal danger.
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Snakes make hissing sounds
Snakes are known to make hissing sounds, and this is the most recognisable snake noise. They do not have external ears or eardrums, so they rely on other methods to pick up on the vibrations caused by sound waves. Snakes don't have vocal cords, so they are limited to hissing. They make this sound in their glottis, a tiny opening at the bottom of the snake's mouth that opens when the snake breathes. The glottis is connected to the trachea, or windpipe, which is connected to the snake's lung.
When a snake exhales forcibly, a small piece of cartilage in the glottis vibrates, creating the hissing sound. All species of snakes can hiss, but some do so more than others. Wild snakes tend to hiss more than pet snakes, as they are used to reacting to dangerous situations. Snakes also hiss when they are in distress, or to communicate that they need a break from being handled. Hissing is a form of communication, and when a snake hisses at a human, it means it is feeling afraid, upset, or annoyed.
The hiss is a warning, and if you hear it, you should leave the snake alone. Rattlesnakes, for example, rattle when they feel threatened, and this is the last warning before they strike. The king cobra can make a growling sound, and the bull snake in North America also hisses.
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Snakes make rattling sounds
Snakes are capable of making sounds, but the extent of this varies between species. Snakes do not have vocal cords, so they are limited in the sounds they can make. The most common sound associated with snakes is a hiss, which they produce as a warning before striking. Some snakes, like bull snakes, can also create a hiss that resembles the rattle of a rattlesnake.
Rattlesnakes are particularly well-known for the rattling sound they make when they feel threatened. This rattle is a warning to predators to stay away or face the snake's venomous fangs. The rattling noise is created by loosely attached dead skin segments at the tail end of the rattlesnake, which are hollow and filled with air. These segments click together to make the distinctive sound. Interestingly, the frequency of the rattle can increase suddenly, creating the illusion that the snake is closer than it actually is.
The evolution of the rattlesnake's rattle is a fascinating topic. It is believed that the ancestors of rattlesnakes shook their tails when they felt threatened, even before the rattles appeared on the snakes. Over time, one piece of skin started to remain attached during shedding, resulting in the development of the rattle.
While snakes are known for their hissing and rattling, some people have also reported hearing snakes make other noises. For example, snakes in pain may produce noisy, forceful exhalations, although they are usually open-mouthed and quiet. Additionally, snakes may create sounds by moving through leaves or other debris, similar to the rustling of a rodent.
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Snakes make growling sounds
Snakes are capable of making a variety of sounds, including hissing, rattling, buzzing, growling, and shrieking. Most of these sounds are meant to intimidate or warn off potential predators. Snakes lack external ears and eardrums, registering noises through sound-induced vibrations that travel through the ground and their bodies.
The king cobra is the only well-documented snake that growls. The sound is described as terrifying, akin to that of a panther or an angry German shepherd. The growl of the king cobra is produced by tracheal diverticula functioning as low-frequency resonating chambers. The pitch of the resonant noise depends on the gas being used, as demonstrated by the change in pitch when the snakes were given helium.
While the king cobra is the most well-known growling snake, a bioacoustic analysis of 21 snake species revealed that the mangrove ratsnake (Gonyosoma oxycephalum) also produces a growl. This species has tracheal diverticula, and flushing its respiratory tract with helium produced a shift of over 1,000 Hertz in the "growl," confirming the resonance effect.
In addition to growling, some snakes can make buzzing sounds with their tails, like the massasauga, or by rubbing their scales together, like the saw-scaled vipers of the Echis genus. Snakes can also make shrieking or squeaking sounds, though these are less common due to the lack of vocal cords in most snakes (bull snakes are an exception).
The noises made by snakes are typically at a frequency that other snakes cannot hear. The growl of the king cobra, for example, rumbles at a very low frequency. Therefore, the primary purpose of these sounds is to communicate with other animals, such as predators or prey, rather than with other snakes.
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Snakes have limited vocal cords
While snakes do not have vocal cords, some species, like the bull snake, have a vocal cord of sorts, which they use to create a hissing sound that resembles a rattlesnake's rattle. The pine snake (Pituophis melanoleucus) is another species with a vocal cord, resulting in a shriek-like hiss. The pine snake has a laryngeal septum, and when it pushes air over it, it creates a shrieking sound.
Snakes are known to make a variety of noises, including hissing, rattling, and rubbing their scales together to produce a dry, raspy sound. Hissing occurs when a snake forcibly blows air from its mouth and nose, serving as a warning to scare away predators. Snakes also create rustling noises when moving through dry leaves and other noisy vegetation or sand.
In addition to hissing, some larger snakes, like the king cobra, can produce a growl-like sound. Young, a researcher, discovered that the king cobra has several little sacs in its trachea. When agitated, the snake pushes air across the openings of these sacs, creating a low rumbling or growling sound.
While snakes do not rely on sound as their primary sense, recent research has shown that they can hear and respond to sound. They can hear sounds travelling through the air and sense vibrations through the ground.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, snakes can make sounds, but they do not have vocal cords (except for bull snakes and pine snakes).
Snakes can hiss, growl, and make wheezing, clicking, and shrieking sounds. They also create rustling noises when moving through dry leaves.
Snakes make sounds to communicate, especially as a warning before they strike. For example, rattlesnakes rattle when they feel threatened.
