Ask a Teacher
snakes cannot hear how they hear the been? |
Any disturbance at a sandy surface leads to vibration waves that radiate away from the source along the surface. These waves behave just like ripples on the surface of a pond after a stone is dropped into the water.Their ears are sensitive enough to not only “hear” the prey approaching, but also to allow the brain, i.e., the auditory system, to localize the direction it is coming from. a snake can detect these small ripples. If it rests its head on the ground, the two sides of the lower jaw are brought into vibration by the incoming wave. These vibrations are then transmitted directly into the inner ear by means of a chain of bones attached to the lower jaw. This process is comparable to the transmission of auditory signals by the ossicles in the human middle ear. The snake thus literally hears surface vibrations. |