Ever looked at your snake and wondered what could they possibly be thinking about? Do snakes even have thoughts? and if so, are they anything like our thoughts or those of other animals?
These are all very interesting questions, and ones that have puzzled me for quite a bit of time, so I did some research and here is what I’ve found.
What do snakes think about? Snakes only think about their needs at any current moment, so their thoughts revolve around safety, food, warmth, and mating. Since thoughts are basically electrical impulses in the brain, we know that snakes have thoughts, but they are unlikely to be anything that we can imagine since they’re so basic and primal.
So while you may be thinking about what to have for lunch or what you will do in the next day’s important meeting as you watch your snake slither around, your snake is only thinking about what it needs in the current moment.
Let’s explore how do snakes think, what kinds of thoughts can snakes have, and how can you tell what your snake is thinking about at any moment.
Contents
What do snakes think about?
All animals have thoughts. Thoughts are just electrical impulses in the brain and don’t require a lot of intelligence or consciousness to exist. What kind of thoughts snakes have is beyond us, but they almost certainly revolve around their most basic needs such as safety, food, warmth, and mating.
How do snakes think?
Snakes only think about what they need in the current moment. They aren’t able to plan for or anticipate future events as we can or as other animals can.
They can’t think about past events either. Snakes only think about what they need at the moment and what they are going through or what they need.
The snake brain
While snakes have brains, they are not as developed as most other mammals or animals.
Snake brains are very primal that they don’t even experience a wide range of emotions, only the basic hunger, fear, and desire to mate. Snakes can not be sad or show affection to their owners in the way other pets can.
We know for sure that snakes have mental activity and mental events, but that they do not and can not think abstractly. They simply don’t have the mental capacity to do so.
They base their mental lives on the present setting and emotions and instincts.
You can tell what a snake is focused on by simply observing its behavior.
Their actions are a good indication of what is going on in their minds.
Here are the thoughts that snakes can have:
- Movement
- Hunger
- Thirst
- Attacking
- Tracking and Hunting prey
- Stillness
- Striking
- Puffing up
- Exploring
- Stress
- Threats
- Burrowing
- Basking
- Digesting
- Flight
- Observing;
- Discomfort
- Warming up
If you know these thoughts, you can easily explain some of the snake behaviors that people are always bewildered by. For example, check out this article on why your snake likes laying straight next to you, it’s definitely not what you think.
Do Snakes Think About What They’re Doing?
It’s hard to say what exactly snakes think about since they lack the ability to vocalize as we do. However, scientists believe that snakes likely do have thoughts, especially since they exhibit some complex behaviors.
For example, snakes can learn to associate certain smells or sounds with potential prey, and they can also remember where good food sources are located. This shows that snakes have a level of intelligence that is greater than many people give them credit for.
Do Snakes Have Emotions?
It’s also difficult to say whether snakes have emotions, since we can’t ask them directly or measure them thanks to their lack of facial expressions and vocalization.
However, some people believe that snakes do experience basic emotions, such as fear and happiness.
For example, scientists have observed that when a snake is handled by humans it often becomes more docile, which suggests that the snake was afraid of being handled but then became happy once it realized that the human was not a threat.
What do snakes think of their owners?
Snakes are able to distinguish between people and may establish a relationship (of some sorts) with their owner over time. Snakes, on the other hand, are unable to see humans as friends, therefore they can’t develop a bond with their owner the same way other pets can.
You can learn more about what do snakes feel about their owners here.
Helpful Resources
Secrets of Snakes: The Science Beyond the Myths by David A. Steen
Given the Cold Shoulder: A Review of the Scientific Literature for Evidence of Reptile Sentience
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