Can snakes hear and if so how?
Snakes have no external ears and are deaf to airborne sound. However, they do have an inner ear, to which vibrations are directed by the bones of the lower jaw when it is in contact with the ground. Even when the jaw is not touching the ground, they can feel vibrations with their bodies and interpret them – for example, the vibrations made by the footsteps of a human walking towards the snake will tell it that something large and potentially dangerous is approaching, a warning that it should move away.
