How Do Snakes Communicate?

Due to the fact that snakes are solitary animals their interaction and need for communication with one another is highly limited. More so, snakes do not have good sense of hearing as they are not made to enjoy extensive communication with one another. However, snakes are known to exhibit some kind of communication with one another. Majority of communication method of snakes are made for finding, defending and securing their breeding partners. You will learn how snakes do communicate through the content of this post.



Snakes Communicate Using the Vemeronasal System
Snakes are equipped to interactive and analyze chemical cues around them through their sense of taste, smell as well as through vemeronasal system. The primary component of the vemeronasal system of snake is the Jacobson’s organ which has two openings where chemicals normally enter. For that reason, snakes flick the tongue to collect chemical in the environment and transfer the chemicals to the Jacobson’s organ for better interpretation. Using this method, they can know when they are going close to predators and even communicate with other snakes around by taken up the chemical cues left by other snakes around.

Snakes Communicate With the Help of Pheromones
Apart from the vemeronasal system, snakes equally use pheromones to communication with each other about the age, gender as well as reproductive condition. To find communal winter dens, baby garter snakes normally use pheromones left by the adult to know where they are. The female releases pheromone when it wants to attract males around for mate. When there are many male snakes around they will engage in trickery competition whereby some males normally emit female hormones to deceive the competitors.

Snake Do Communicate With Each Other Through Physical Combat
Physical combat with other snakes is another method of snake to snake communication. Also, male of some snake species are known to be antagonistic to another in order to let others known about their dominance power in a particular area. The combat is mostly perform in the presence of female snake during breeding season as they males will try to see the one that will physically subdue others in order to take over the female around.

Snakes Uses Hissing Sound to Pass Message Across To Each Other
Though snakes do not have well developed sense of hearing yet some species normally communicate with each other by making hissing sound. Also, rattle snakes normally communicate with each other by shaking their rattles on the air. The king cobra is known to make growling sound which is a hiss sound with lower frequency when they want to communicate with each other.