help settle a debate. do snakes have personalities?

[Valvaren]

I feel my ball has a personality, it might not be much compared to my Dragon but he definitely does he is extremely shy with anyone not me, balls up, freezes, or attempts to get back to me, now me and my fiance are both there at feeding time and both handle him equally but he prefers me. He has a habit of trying to lick my nose/eyes and when I tell him 'no' he gives up, I don't yell or blow on his face and its not like a jerky reaction he just stops for a minute, looks and me then moves away.

Now Thil my dragon defiantly has personality, she hates her baths and recognizes when I say its time for one, gives me a look and gets p*ssy, hates being anywhere but on me and listens to her name. I've had a few times when I've had her out while I was upset on my bed now any other time her immediate response is to run around licking everything or crashing on the pillows by my head but everytime I was there, crying or just feeling ****** she crawled on me and nuzzled into my neck staying there till I move.

I think as a society we tend not to give animals the proper respect and we underestimate them, we can study their brain and anatomy but I truely believe we will never know how they think or what they think until we can either become them or understand them but that's my .02 cents and i'm glad there are so many people on here who feel the same way and do give animals the proper respect.

[natsamjosh]

"I think as a society we tend not to give animals the proper respect and we underestimate them, we can study their brain and anatomy but I truely believe we will never know how they think or what they think until we can either become them..."

Well said. I see a lot of people using the human brain as a baseline for comparison, but I don't think that's logical. Sometimes we should just admit we don't know...

[Lankyrob]

Originally Posted by natsamjosh

"I think as a society we tend not to give animals the proper respect and we underestimate them, we can study their brain and anatomy but I truely believe we will never know how they think or what they think until we can either become them..."

Well said. I see a lot of people using the human brain as a baseline for comparison, but I don't think that's logical. Sometimes we should just admit we don't know...

Gotta agree - we know very little about the human brain and how it works so why would we know anything about another species!

[presspirate]

To answer the op's question, in my experience. I will say yes indeed they do have individual personalities. You do not need to have a highly developed brain to have a personality. I have experience with developmentally disabled individuals and they all have different personalities.

[xhanth]

The personality of the two snakes I have owned is a child like attitude they do have personalities just in small variations. all beings have a soul made of energy no matter what you are it is only limited to your physical bonds and the amount of energy you control. Its like saying a dinosaur would be smarter than a human cuz it has a larger brain its just not the case. With out the energy that makes me think I would be nothing but a hunk of meat same goes for all beings of energy.

[Will0W783]

Hi guys, I study neuroscience. So I feel I might have a bit of qualification to chime in here...

I think that we cannot say for sure what any animal is experiencing at any given time. The brain stem- the classic "reptilian brain" controls our basic bodily functions, like breathing, eating, sexual drives, etc. However, snakes DO in fact have a primitive neocortex, consisting largely of the less evolved structures like amygdala (basal emotions= fear, hate, sexual arousal, hippocampus for memory, and sensory cortices. They do not possess any "prefrontal cortex". The PFC is the region of the brain responsible for the qualities we consider "human"- the ability to think about how we are feeling, empathize with others, and understand the concept of "self". Other mammals have a PFC, but it is not nearly as developed as primate and human PFC.
So snakes may indeed experience some of the things that people consider "emotions," but they would have no way of understanding those feelings. I do believe that most animals experience something akin to fear; they also can be comfortable and they can be miserable and in pain, or even just plain uncomfortable. Are they experiencing these things the same way we are? Who knows. For that matter, who knows that what I experience as comfort is the same as what any other person does? We simply cannot know what is going on in the brain of another person for sure, let alone another species.

I do not think that snakes can feel "love" or much of any attachment, but they definitely can learn. My snakes seem to "know" when it is getting close to feeding day. Most days when I enter the room they continue to go about their business, but around feeding day every face is pressed against the glass when I come in, even before the smell of food is around. I also have a few snakes- my retics- that will come out of the cage when it is opened and come right to me. I have one that actively presses on her door and paces against the door when I come in, as though she were asking to come out. What is she thinking? I have no clue, but it does seem as though she "wants" to come out.

So, can snakes have "personalities"? I think that they can definitely have different traits and attitudes. Some can be very docile and laid-back, while others are aggressive and cranky no matter how much time is put into working with them. Is that "personality" in the classic sense or just conditioning? I don't know...but I like to call it "snakeanality."

[Rog]

If we are talking smartness. Do snakes harm their surrounding environment? No. Do they live minimally? Yes. In my opinion their simplicity shows signs of a great intelligence that will probably still be roaming the earth after humans kill themselves off.Why do we consider ourselves intelligent? Humans knowingly turn the environment they live in into an unlivable waistland, killing off hundreds of other species a day. Evolutionary wise who has roamed the earth the longest?

[swiftskater1]

In my honest opinion its probably the Reticulated Python. They are always so curious and they have a HUGE feeding response, And are SUPER smart animals. Which snake do you guys think have the most personality??



THanks!, Chris.

[infernalis]

Obviously... Garter snakes.

Always moving, always curious, always alert, Like a snake with ADHD.

Then would be my Black Racer, he is always alert and inquisitive.

[KD35WIN.AS.ONE]

Naja melanoleuca... Better known as Black Forest Cobra.

[dshin963]

Ohhh there is going to be a lot of bias in this loaded question haha everyones going to pick their favourites like me, blood pythons haha such amazing snakes and very rewarding :-)

[red ink]

Not that you guys would have any experience in them but..... Morelia carinata rough scaled python

[infernalis]

anyone remember this thread??

http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/gener...onalities.html

[Will0W783]

I don't think there is any one type of snake that universally has tons of personality, but there are more active species and more curious species,...generally. There are exceptions to every rule when it comes to animals.

In general, I have found carpet pythons to be active, curious animals...they are large and impressive, without being massive and impossible to handle alone. Carpets generally stay in motion, and when handled are always crawling about, flicking their tongues.

Reticulated pythons are also known for being extremely intelligent snakes, and therefore curious and active. Retics, however, are the longest species of snake, and can have frightening tempers. Almost every retic I've ever seen has a feeding response like no other,...be careful! However, two of my favorite snakes ever have been retics, and there is nothing quite like a tame, curious giant python.

While Burmese pythons are generally fat and lazy snakes, mine has a great personality, and always comes up to the door of his cage when I enter the room. If I open the door and sit near his cage, he will come out and put his head in my lap and flick his tongue all over me. He's full of "seemingly affectionate" personality.

Colubrids tend to be more active. I've never had garter snakes, so I can't comment there, but I've had ratsnakes, cornsnakes, and the like and they are all active and energetic aimals.

Although, if one considers curiosity, activity level, cage rearrangement and fearlessness "personality",..then my cobra wins scales down. However, NOT A GOOD PET. I would not recommend one to anyone without extensive experience and training. They're very smart and won't let you get away with any mistakes.

[alessia55]

Obviously the snakes with the most personality are my own snakes But I'm biased, hm?