Intelligence between different types of snakes

[smy_749]

Aaron's comment doesn't mean they have 'no' intelligence. It just shows like Terr said, they aren't chimpanzees or domestic dogs/cats. They do however show some level of intelligence with things like hook training I think. Though, admittedly, I can't think of any other 'tricks' that snakes can learn besides that one LOL

[Mikoh4792]

Originally Posted by smy_749

Aaron's comment doesn't mean they have 'no' intelligence. It just shows like Terr said, they aren't chimpanzees or domestic dogs/cats. They do however show some level of intelligence with things like hook training I think. Though, admittedly, I can't think of any other 'tricks' that snakes can learn besides that one LOL

I understood what he said. The purpose of this thread is not about how intelligent snakes are, but how intelligent they are compared to each other.

[smy_749]

Originally Posted by mikoh4792

I understood what he said. The purpose of this thread is not about how intelligent snakes are, but how intelligent they are compared to each other.

Yea I just thought that Aaron was trying to say they don't show any intelligence, maybe I understood it, but I wasn't responding to you though.

Retics show some intelligent behaviors, just watch piracacu's video where his retic understands the laws of physics.

[Mikoh4792]

Originally Posted by smy_749

Yea I just thought that Aaron was trying to say they don't show any intelligence, maybe I understood it, but I wasn't responding to you though.

Retics show some intelligent behaviors, just watch piracacu's video where his retic understands the laws of physics.

lol I know which video are you talking about.

[Pareeeee]

Originally Posted by Aaron_S

If you want to know how smart snakes are just see any "aggressive" snake bash it's face off it's enclosure continually, never learning that there's a wall there that they can't get through...no matter how injured their face is.

I know what you're trying to say, and I do agree that snakes don't have emotions and are not as intelligent as higher animals.

...but that paragraph?? I could say the same thing about dogs:
"If you want to know how smart dogs are just see any "aggressive" dog attack a porcupine continually, never learning that there are quills there...no matter how injured their face is."

That is not how you measure animal intelligence, silly

[Pareeeee]

Oh got carried away and forgot to say what I originally was going to say - my Rosy Boa is unusually curious. If we are doing anything 'noisy' in the room he will come out of his hide and try to see what's going on. If I open his tub, he will try to climb onto my hand. If I take him outside, he follows me around. Dunno why, other than that he's weird. I like my weird snake.

My BP on the other hand, all he cares about is hiding and staying warm.

[smy_749]

Originally Posted by Pareeeee

Oh got carried away and forgot to say what I originally was going to say - my Rosy Boa is unusually curious. If we are doing anything 'noisy' in the room he will come out of his hide and try to see what's going on. If I open his tub, he will try to climb onto my hand. If I take him outside, he follows me around. Dunno why, other than that he's weird. I like my weird snake.

My BP on the other hand, all he cares about is hiding and staying warm.

How does he hear the noise?

[Pareeeee]

Originally Posted by smy_749

How does he hear the noise?

vibrations, usually if there's a lot of thumping noises.

[smy_749]

Originally Posted by Pareeeee

vibrations, usually if there's a lot of thumping noises.

Yea I was just being bothersome. I figured someone would point out they can't hear so might as well be me :P but I knew what you meant lol

[Pareeeee]

Originally Posted by smy_749

Yea I was just being bothersome. I figured someone would point out they can't hear so might as well be me :P but I knew what you meant lol

Pickety pick pick pick nit picky pick pickitey pick!

lol

[Aaron_S]

Originally Posted by lady_bug87

I personally enjoy when you're all feisty

I bet you do

[Aaron_S]

Originally Posted by Pareeeee

I know what you're trying to say, and I do agree that snakes don't have emotions and are not as intelligent as higher animals.

...but that paragraph?? I could say the same thing about dogs:
"If you want to know how smart dogs are just see any "aggressive" dog attack a porcupine continually, never learning that there are quills there...no matter how injured their face is."

That is not how you measure animal intelligence, silly

Really? But I'm supposed to believe the study done where corn snakes learned a maze? I can't use my example of repetition failing to show any sort of "learned" behaviour but others can?

Also the difference between our examples are that many dogs will just let the porcupine be and learn a lesson, or if they see another one a different day they will have learned their lesson. Snakes on the other hand, continually, day after day strike and hit the glass. Not only certain ones but a LOT of them do.

[Arboreal]

It depends on what you consider intelligent. The average idea of intelligence is cognitive abilities, problem solving skills, instinct etc. But, the king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah), Reticulated Python (Python reticulatus), and many other elapids are VERY intelligent it's scary! As parrots are at the level of intelligence of a 3-5 year old child, and mental stability of a 2 year old! I'd put King cobras at the intelligence of a 2-3 year old, with the mental stability of baboon! , retics are most likely at the pace of a newborn-1 year child. I use the term of "mental instability" loosely, referring to Aggressiveness, Nervousness, demeanor. Now, I personally found the GTP's intelligent (might be a LITTLE biased :P), I always saw them working something out in their brains...calculating...learning. I don't like how we underestimate animal intelligence, as we really can't "measure" intelligence, and have a varying idea of what "intelligence" is. That's my two cents

[Pareeeee]

Originally Posted by Aaron_S

Really? But I'm supposed to believe the study done where corn snakes learned a maze? I can't use my example of repetition failing to show any sort of "learned" behaviour but others can?

Also the difference between our examples are that many dogs will just let the porcupine be and learn a lesson, or if they see another one a different day they will have learned their lesson. Snakes on the other hand, continually, day after day strike and hit the glass. Not only certain ones but a LOT of them do.

Aaron, panties are uncomfortable when they're in a bunch.

Also, humans exhibit this behavior too!!!

...and Justin Beiber walked into a door not once but it twice (he didn't learn)

ok ok not relevant - just something to lighten the mood

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Where did I say that I believed corn snakes can learn mazes? I will say it again - I know what you're trying to say, and I do agree that snakes don't have emotions and are not as intelligent as higher animals.

Nearly everyone here has noticed that their snakes exhibit primitive learned behavior (ie: recognition over time of feeding tongs, hooks, etc). So they can learn, but to an extremely limited extent.

And as for dogs 'learning their lesson' when it comes to porcupines, the dogs I've known never did. This is why I used that particular example, and is why I believe we can't use that type of behavior to judge an animal's intelligence.
A family I know lives in a wooded area, their old dog always got into porcupines. Multiple times. (we have a lot in our area) He never learned, they actually had him put down because they couldn't afford to remove quills from his face once again (I wish they would've just tied him up... )
Along the same lines, deer and rabbits run toward cars on the road and get killed. Not because they are stupid. Deer and rabbits are some of the fastest animals out there, and they use their speed to avoid being killed. This, of course, doesn't work with cars; they can't even comprehend the speed a vehicle can go.
Instinct can be a powerful thing, and sometimes instinct can be horribly wrong.

Instinct powers the snake to try to attack you through the glass, and because of their lower intelligence they cannot comprehend being able to see through something yet not go through it.
I could be wrong about this but don't many snakes have less than ideal eyesight as well? Could factor into it.

[Kettennatter]

Originally Posted by Aaron_S

[...]
Also the difference between our examples are that many dogs will just let the porcupine be and learn a lesson, or if they see another one a different day they will have learned their lesson. Snakes on the other hand, continually, day after day strike and hit the glass. Not only certain ones but a LOT of them do.

The question becomes whether this behavior is more likely in certain types of snakes. I only see striking glass continue in snakes that have a very high feeding response. Quite frankly, I don't see it as an indicator of any type of intelligence, but rather a specific instinct being dominant.

To me this goes back to the earlier question of how we'd even define intelligence in this context. Some snakes will change behavior, often painfully slow during some form conditioning, others pick it up a little faster. But it is nowhere near, or even comparable to, the immediate learning experience that you see in many mammals.