Serpentologists from the University of Queensland studied the effect of sounds of different frequencies on snakes. Analysis,
The absence of external ears in snakes leads people toThe authors of the work explain the erroneous assumption that these animals cannot hear, but orient themselves by catching the vibrations of the earth with their skin. To disprove this misconception, they placed 19 different snakes from five families in a soundproof room.
Inside the room included three sounds with differentfrequency, chosen so that only one of them causes oscillations of the surface. The first sound was in the range from 0 to 150 Hz, and when it was turned on, the accelerometer recorded surface vibrations. The other two were chosen in the ranges from 150 to 300 Hz and from 300 to 450 Hz and did not cause “ground” vibrations.
The reaction of snakes to various sounds. Video: Chris Hay and Dr Christina Zdenek
The study showed that snakes in all casesreact to sound. Moreover, the reaction itself differs depending on the species. Of all the selected snakes, only the black-headed pythons (Aspidites) began to move towards the source of the sound. Other species - taipans (Oxyuranus, brown snakes (Pseudonaja) and especially deadly snakes (Acanthophis), on the contrary, tried to move away from him.
Researchers believe that different behavior -the result of evolutionary development. Black-headed pythons are large nocturnal snakes that have fewer predators than smaller species, so they can "take a chance" and crawl towards the sound. Taipans, on the contrary, are vulnerable to other predators, so they prefer to hide or prepare for defense.
Read more:
Remains of 'delicacy' meal found in Neanderthal cave
Substance from the "grandfather's beard" improves memory and neuronal growth
It turned out that the drug for arthritis "reverses aging" and rejuvenates the body