Scientists in Australia are looking to finally answer an age old question.
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00:00 (light music)
00:02 Snakes are known for their forked tongues
00:06 and slithering nature,
00:07 but scientists say despite not having any visible ears,
00:10 they're actually quite adept listeners.
00:11 Researchers from the University of Queensland in Australia
00:14 wanted to test just how good at hearing they were,
00:16 setting up an experiment to test both air
00:18 and ground vibrational sounds.
00:20 What they found was that yes,
00:21 snakes can definitely hear the sounds,
00:23 but the reactions differed snake species to snake species.
00:26 The researchers found that taipans,
00:28 brown snakes and death adders,
00:29 would slither away from the direction
00:31 sounds were coming from.
00:32 Woma pythons on the other hand would go towards the sound.
00:34 So why the difference in snake behavior?
00:36 Well, the snakes that moved away from the sounds
00:38 are generally much smaller than the python,
00:40 which stretches nearly nine feet long
00:42 and weighs around 11 pounds,
00:44 meaning sounds more often lead to a meal
00:46 for an animal that has few natural predators.
00:48 They also tend to hunt larger prey as well,
00:50 meaning animals that are more likely
00:51 to make sounds in the bush.
00:53 With the researchers writing in their report,
00:55 quote, "We know very little about how most snake species
00:57 navigate situations and landscapes around the world,
01:00 but our study shows that sound may be an important part
01:03 of their sensory repertoire."
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