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So tell me about a Corn Snakes eye sight

TheFrogman

TheFrogman

Im just old
I have done research and I have read that a Snakes eyesight varies from snake to snake and that they actually rely on heat as a sensor, true?

So let me ask, I play with a laser pointer in Crescents enclosure and as he does not chase it like a cat would I defiantly see him react to it. Nooooo he wont chase but Im working on it,anyway if I run it by his head he will move and react like he sees it.

Do you think he sees it, feels it or is it merely conscience ya think?
 
Snakes like all animals have a higher sensory range than humans. Like a shark smelling blood for miles, or dogs hearing or sensing earthquakes etc. snakes rely mainly on vibrations, and scents but eyes I'm sure play a part. Good or bad I wouldn't use a laser pointer on any creature as you never truly know how it could affect their eyes.
My moto is always do unto others as you'd have them do unto you. Including animals. Respect them and they'll respect you...hopefully :)
Just be careful my friend.
 
This is a tough topic to factually answer. While I'm sure there's much known about snakes eyesight in general, how much various species rely on different senses really varies a lot. I do know Corns rely on their tongue ("taste" and "smell") and environmental vibrations for hunting. Unlike certain other classifications that rely more on heat pits. There are even a very few species that actually use eye vision more than any other sense when hunting. IIRC, Garters are one of these rare exceptions.

Due to the evolutionary differences in sensory reliance for hunting... I'm not sure if anyone can really answer your question concerning the sensitivity and awareness of a Corn snakes eye vision.
 
So before anyone corrects me, I guess I should point out that all snakes use every sense they have for hunting and navigation, it's just different species have learned to rely on certain senses more than their other senses.
 
I knew my friend Nythain would give me the true skinny without a lecture about the laser pointer. There is so much on the net about snakes eyes and like you say, no one really knows for sure other than it may differ from snake species to snake species.
 
I was actually surprised to hear your snake responded at all to a laser pointer. It's unclear how "soft" snakes vision is for the most part, but it is known that most don't perceive the world like we do, and don't even pick up on certain colors. Thus the popular blue and red "Night Time Heat" bulbs. *Supposedly* most snakes have a hard time really observing light of those two colors.
 
Nythain said:
I was actually surprised to hear your snake responded at all to a laser pointer. It's unclear how "soft" snakes vision is for the most part, but it is known that most don't perceive the world like we do, and don't even pick up on certain colors. Thus the popular blue and red "Night Time Heat" bulbs. *Supposedly* most snakes have a hard time really observing light of those two colors.
Click to expand...

It could have been conscience but it seemed when I ran it past his head , he moved his head away from it.
 
Nythain said:
Thus the popular blue and red "Night Time Heat" bulbs. *Supposedly* most snakes have a hard time really observing light of those two colors.
Click to expand...

The purported purpose of the blue bulbs, example ZooMed's Moonlight bulb, is just as the example mentions...moon light. These are supposed to simulate soft moon lighting. Many field herpers will avidly tell you that some of the worst nights or at least nights they don't bother to road cruise/night hike are nights with bright moons, in particular the full moon. I typically only encounter rattlers during the lead up and after a full moon. My assumption would be due to the fact that even though the light of a full moon could give them away, they still have additional lines of defense (cryptic patterning, venom, etc.).

FWIW all my geckos (leopard, tokay, banded, pictus, and barking) seem to key in on red laser light. My wife's beardie also hones in on it. This tells me some sort of rod, cone, hexagon, trapezoid, whatever within their eye is capable of at least sensing red.

My curiosity lies more in what affects would more natural light cycling do for our reptiles, even our corns and other crepuscular and nocturnal species. I get what I feel are more natural behaviors out of my leopard geckos that are set up with overhead lighting, actual basking setups. I know that much more natural and complex behaviors have been observed in fresh & saltwater fish that have $97568690787 (exaggeration) LED setups that simulate sunrise/sunset, noon brightness, clouds passing, thunderstorms (lightning), and moon phases. A friend was recently telling me there are lighting systems that link to your local weather to simulate cloud cover and storms. I've always wanted to do this for my animals, but have never really vested much into the thought other than having it as a want/wish. I know many snake species we consider nocturnal will actually bask in full sun during spring and fall months, and as temps warm up in spring will shift to crepuscular and then to nocturnal come the hot months.

Rambling/ranting....in the altered words of Mr. Mackey from South Park, "lighting's bad, mkay?"
 
HerpsOfNM said:
I know that much more natural and complex behaviors have been observed in fresh & saltwater fish that have $97568690787 (exaggeration) LED setups that simulate sunrise/sunset, noon brightness, clouds passing, thunderstorms (lightning), and moon phases. A friend was recently telling me there are lighting systems that link to your local weather to simulate cloud cover and storms. I've always wanted to do this for my animals, but have never really vested much into the thought other than having it as a want/wish.
Click to expand...
Heh, similarly a want/wish of mine too. Will probably never happen, but damn it would be so cool.
I know many snake species we consider nocturnal will actually bask in full sun during spring and fall months, and as temps warm up in spring will shift to crepuscular and then to nocturnal come the hot months.
Click to expand...
That's one of the first things I learned about most snakes. I started researching more diurnal species which led me to the various mountain kingsnakes. Which exhibit generally diurnal behavior until the temps warm up too much. Then they tend to switch to more crepuscular or nocturnal behaviors.

Rambling/ranting....in the altered words of Mr. Mackey from South Park, "lighting's bad, mkay?"
Click to expand...
Heh, well, either way thanks for the rambling/ranting. I love learning things.
 
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