brain of snakes

[kazz]

The snakes that had that instinct were more likely to survive because they weren't laying in fecal matter and therefore having skin problems or diseases. The smell of feces/urine can also attract predators, so doing it outside the hide also benefited snakes in that way, and helped their survival rate.

perhaps you are right, but maybe you are not )

[Andy_G]

This question is an interesting one and it depends greatly upon what one would quantify as "intelligence" and where the line were to be drawn between "intelligence" and "instinct/biological function".

Originally Posted by kazz

perhaps you are right, but maybe you are not )

Reptiles tend to avoid their own waste. That is a fact, no maybe about it. I don't personally quantify that as being a sign of intellect.