Adult snakes and heat pads?

[treaux]

Originally Posted by bigsnakegirl785

Actually, many snakes do bask in the open, especially diurnal snakes. They do also make use of warm surfaces during the night as you mentioned, though. But basking in the direct sunlight is actually quite common, you can see rattlesnakes and garter snakes especially doing this.

Here's a link saying that using snakes' natural basking behaviors is a useful tool in observing them in the wild: Snakes - Living with Wildlife | Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife

It again mentions them basking on roads since it's warm after nightfall.

Here's a link that mentions boa constrictors basking in the sun in trees: Boa Constrictor

Another one mentioning carpet pythons basking in the open: https://www.australiazoo.com.au/our-...carpet-pythons

For snakes, basking in the sunlight is an invaluable way to get warm, even if it opens them to predation.

That may be true, but conduction is their most efficient way to gain heat (and probably accounts for more of it than radiation from the sun). Sitting on hot pavement either in the sun or after dark, most of the heat is coming from the pavement which has more heat stored in it than the snake itself. Same goes for basking on rocks or anything else that holds heat. My point being this is very similar to a heat pad and snakes are definitely built to make use of it.