Do snakes hiss at one another?

[formica]

Interesting question popped up on RFUK, do snakes hiss at one another? I dont get to see many wild snakes, so its not something I have ever witnessed...do they hiss at one another in the same way that they hiss at other predators/threats?

[Starbuck]

I've never seen them hiss a each other in the wild, but having disturbed a few wild snakes, i wonder if they would; if say a larger snake came upon a smaller one, and the little one was trying to act scary?
Maybe someone who has bred a few or cohabs can comment?

[millertime89]

They probably do but at most it will be an instinctual reaction to a stimulus (the other snake is viewed as a threat). Remember, snakes have no ears and I highly doubt that a snake's hiss is going to have enough energy to be felt. I could be wrong though.

[jpsteele80]

Interesting thought

[SSSSnakes]

Originally Posted by millertime89

They probably do but at most it will be an instinctual reaction to a stimulus (the other snake is viewed as a threat). Remember, snakes have no ears and I highly doubt that a snake's hiss is going to have enough energy to be felt. I could be wrong though.

I agree 100%

[formica]

thats what I thought (intentional/instinctive hissing at other snakes), I know that their hearing range is mainly low-freq for airborne sounds, and direct vibrations

[mclund]

Originally Posted by formica

thats what I thought (intentional/instinctive hissing at other snakes), I know that their hearing range is mainly low-freq for airborne sounds, and direct vibrations

I read a research paper a few years back on the topic of snakes hearing any airborne sounds. The results of the study with the test animals was they actually can not "hear" airborne sounds at all. They lack a tympanic membrane and the inner ear bone actually is connected to the lower jaw. That being said, I have to believe that their "sense" we are referring to as hearing is way beyond our comprehension. This was also a small focus group and with all the adaptations in snakes, there could be different levels in different species.

[formica]

according to this: Hearing with an atympanic ear: good vibration and... [J Exp Biol. 2012] - PubMed - NCBI

snakes have quite sensitive ''hearing'' for sound vibrations, but not for ''sound pressure'', however, sound pressure causes sound vibrations, infact that is how all animals hear, by converting pressure waves into vibrations, inside the ear, but we also hear by direct vibration thru our jaw bone, as do snakes, and I also read another paper which talked about response to ''sound vibration'' along their spinal cord...cant find it now, will keep looking

the general feeling seems to be that lower freq sounds are picked up very efficiently, but that doesnt really help in relation to a snake hiss, which is quite high frequency (possibly white) noise

i'm going to try and find some snakes hiss recordings, and see if any of my snakes respond to it, or maybe synthesize some white noise hisses - it could be that snakes are particularly sensitive to the freqz of their hisses

...actually what we hear of their hisses, may not be main component of the sound, there could well be subsonic (unlikley given the size of their mouth and throat) and/or ultrasonic (more likley) elements that we cant hear at all (<20hz - >20khz)...I dont have any microphones which can pick up true ultrasonic sound tho

[mclund]

Originally Posted by formica

according to this: Hearing with an atympanic ear: good vibration and... [J Exp Biol. 2012] - PubMed - NCBI

snakes have quite sensitive ''hearing'' for sound vibrations, but not for ''sound pressure'', however, sound pressure causes sound vibrations, infact that is how all animals hear, by converting pressure waves into vibrations, inside the ear, but we also hear by direct vibration thru our jaw bone, as do snakes, and I also read another paper which talked about response to ''sound vibration'' along their spinal cord...cant find it now, will keep looking

the general feeling seems to be that lower freq sounds are picked up very efficiently, but that doesnt really help in relation to a snake hiss, which is quite high frequency (possibly white) noise

i'm going to try and find some snakes hiss recordings, and see if any of my snakes respond to it, or maybe synthesize some white noise hisses - it could be that snakes are particularly sensitive to the freqz of their hisses

...actually what we hear of their hisses, may not be main component of the sound, there could well be subsonic (unlikley given the size of their mouth and throat) and/or ultrasonic (more likley) elements that we cant hear at all (<20hz - >20khz)...I dont have any microphones which can pick up true ultrasonic sound tho

Exactly...Kinda where I was going with that. It would be any interesting project if someone had the right sound equipment.

Hissing is probably the most popular sound associated with snakes, but there is a number of other sounds produced as well, tail rattle, King Cobras growl, saw scales rub there scales together and a couple species do a cloaca popping when agitated.

[formica]

been thru all my sound equipment, I think I might just about manage to record upto 48khz, although I dont think I will get a good flat response at that freq (one my mics claims to record upto 50khz with only -9db drop off, not bad at all! my field recorder does 192khz sample rate, so can record upto 96khz ultrasonic, but I dont have a mic that can handle that...will check with our equipment supplier and see if they have anything)

when I clean my carpets out next week I'll see what I can record, they are the only snakes I have that regularly hiss

also going to get a small plastic snake, and leave it in a bag for a few weeks with the old substrate from my boa enclosure and a few shed skins, and see what kind of response I get from the carpets once its picked up some smell - the plastic snake idea could be done by anyone with more than one species of snake, if anyone wants to try aswell! (porous/rubbery type plastics would be best I think)